


Video Games

by WanderingWorldWarrior



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkward Flirting, College chocobros, Drinking, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Gaming, I lessened the age gap between the chocobros, Light Angst, No use of y/n, POV Second Person, Reader is one year younger than Gladiolus, Reader-Insert, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Lovers, Texting, Underage Drinking, maybe future smut?, this is probably the most domestic thing I’ll ever write tbh, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2018-12-14 09:49:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 37,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11780619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingWorldWarrior/pseuds/WanderingWorldWarrior
Summary: Reader walks into a little video game shop near her college, where she catches the eye of the guy behind the counter.Honestly? I had a dream and had to get it out of my head.The rating is subject to change (from M to E) depending on whether or not I decide to smut things up.Find me on Tumblrhere!Consider joining myDiscord!Music playlist for this serieshere!





	1. PS1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, listen. Listen, listen, listen. Let me explain myself. I'm a huge nerd. I love video games. Gladiolus makes me think 'hot damn'. My brain mixed the two, and I had a dream about this scenario.
> 
> If you're reading my Loki/Reader series, NO, I have not forgotten or abandoned it AT ALL! I'm stuck on my next chapter, and needed a little break. The writing style is different, and I wanted to write something a bit more casual with shorter chapters!
> 
> Tl;dr: I'm a video game nerd, I love Gladiolus, and I haven't abandoned my other fic.  
> :)

You walked into the little video game store, head ducked in an attempt to stay dry. The rain hadn’t let up since you had moved in this morning, and you were irritated that you’d forgotten your rain jacket at the dorm. Spotting the store had been a God-sent solace for your shitty day, and no way would you look that gift horse in the mouth.

You knew your mom had been hoping you’d make friends with your roommate, Jess _Something-Or-Other_ , promptly at move-in, but you’d realized quickly that that was not going to work. As soon as both sets of parents had said their goodbyes, she’d called her boyfriend, Steven _Who-Gives-A-Shit_. And he then came over. And the both of them had made it very clear about what they intended to do with their new lack of parental guidance.

And so you’d stepped out, “making your way downtown” so to speak, by taking a short walk towards the strip of stores close-ish to the college. Left so fast you hadn’t thought to grab a jacket or an umbrella.

Sticking to the awnings had proven successful, but none of the stores grabbed your attention like “Amicit-Games”. You’d brought a few of your gaming systems along to college with you (much to your mother’s ire), and you were always on the search for something that interested you. Especially older games, the kind Game Stop didn’t sell anymore. You figured you were on some sort of nostalgia kick, probably conjured up due to you entering your college years.

And this gaming store was exactly what you were hoping it would be. Small enough to have a shit ton of older games and consoles, but not so small that there weren’t a lot of options. The fair share of plushies and board games were also very promising.

You heard someone call out a greeting from the front desk, and you awkwardly mumbled a response in hopes that whoever they were wouldn’t be the kind of salesperson to hover over your every move. Some small stores were like that.

Luckily, whoever was on duty today was content with letting you browse in peace. You walked the shelves, glancing at the handwritten signs until you spotted a section of PlayStation games. The old kind, the ones that came in square cases, the kind you’d get for Christmas as a kid. You remembered being utterly disappointed when you’d think you’d gotten a PS1 game only to discover you’d been gifted a CD.

The memories made you grin, and you started scanning the titles for anything that you had loved as a child and then foolishly traded in to buy something ridiculous, like an expensive game guide. You were half-hoping you wouldn’t find anything, seeing as you were drenched from the downpour outside, and were not fit for other humans to see you. As if on cue, thunder rumbled through the room.

The storm made the little store seem very cozy, however. You wouldn’t mind curling up under a blanket with a good book when you got back to the dorm. Assuming Jess was done doing… well, doing her boyfriend.

You dreaded unpacking with her in the room. She seemed the type to not understand your more nerdy tendencies, although you quickly decided you weren’t in any position to judge anyone. Jess could very well be a nice girl. First impressions weren’t always right.

You broke out of your thoughts when you spotted a title you’d been looking for for a couple of years now. “What? No way,” you muttered under your breath, pulling the case from the shelf.

Third Spyro PS1 game, _Year of the Dragon_. You’d played the hell out of that as a kid. You had no luck on finding the first one, but you still kept your old, beat up copy of the second.

And suddenly you didn’t give a fuck what you looked like, you were buying this game.

You continued to browse, but couldn’t find anything else you wanted (or could afford) at the moment. Some of the plushies were cute, but hey, you weren’t made of cash. You meandered up to the counter, staring at the little trinkets and buttons on the shelves closest to it, which tempted impulse buys out of unsuspecting shoppers.

“Hey, ready to check out?”

At the sound of his voice, the fuck you didn’t give about your wet clothes and disheveled appearance suddenly came roaring back with a vengeance. The guy behind the counter was… _hot_. You hated yourself for thinking it, but it just could not be helped. Tall, taller than you, with dark brown hair cropped short on the sides. He was fit, to put it lightly, and he had a strong jawline. He sported a black T-shirt with the shop’s logo on it.

 _Get a fucking hold of yourself, dumbass_ , you scolded silently. _See him? Not gonna’ happen._

He took your silence as an affirmative to the question he asked you (he probably got that from shoppers a lot), and you tried to smile politely as you set the game on the counter. You felt dumb for buying it, now.

He appraised you with interest (you were fooling yourself to think it was _interest_ , you were sure) for a moment before clearing his throat and looking down to scan the game. “Oh, hey now, didn’t know this old thing was out on the shelf. Haven’t thought about it in years.”

“Yeah,” you spoke up, still a little nervous. “I played them all the time as a kid. Still got a copy of the second one.”

“The first is kind of hard to find,” he said, ducking down behind the counter and pulling out a drawer full of game discs. “Still, nice to see someone looking at the older systems. You still have a PS1?”

“No,” you admitted sheepishly as he pulled the game sleeve from the drawer, extracting the disc and popping it into the case. “But I hauled my PS3 up here, and it’s backwards compatible, so….”

“Cool, cool,” he responded, grinning wolfishly down at you. “Going to college here, then?”

“Yep,” you replied, holding out your debit card. “Welcome Week starts tomorrow, I guess.”

“Slide the card,” he instructed, seeming amused as he gestured to the machine sitting right in front of you on the counter. You prayed your cheeks weren’t really on fire as you rectified your awkward mistake and he continued talking. “Freshman, huh? Know what you’re majoring in?”

“No, not yet,” you mumbled, punching in your PIN. “Maybe art, or design, or something else my mom thinks I’d never be able to get a job in.”

And he laughed, teeth flashing in a large grin. He handed you a little plastic bag with your game inside, and gave you your receipt. “Nice. Well, maybe I’ll see you around. I’m a Sophomore myself. But, uh….” He trailed off, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, enjoy the game.”

“Thanks,” you responded, and gave him a little smile before you turned to go.

“Oh, hey, what’s your name?” You glanced over your shoulder, a little surprised by his question. He gave you a winning smile. “You know, for the computer system.”

You had a feeling your cheeks really were red this time, but you rattled off your name in a pleasant tone. He probably wasn’t just asking, he probably really did need to put it in the system.

He made a big deal out of typing your name, repeating the syllables slowly with a playful grin. “Awesome. Thanks.” He looked up from the computer keyboard to your face, and you noticed he had warm, brown eyes. “I’m Gladio, by the way.”

Your brows furrowed at the odd name, and he chuckled. “Yeah, I know, I know. It’s a family thing.”

“Well, it was good to meet you, Gladio,” you said, returning his smile.

“You, too,” he called. “Come back anytime.”

“Alright, sure,” you said before you could stop yourself. “Thanks!”

And you walked out of the door and into the humidity before you could embarrass yourself further. You shook your head, thankful that you had the rainy trek back to the dorm to clear your thoughts.

A sneaky hope in the back of your mind wished that he was right, and you really _would_ run into him on campus sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladio in college working at a video game store... who'd of thunk it?


	2. Level Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this is just my fic I work on and update late at night/early in the morning lol
> 
> Just remember that this is a slow burn, please! There's a certain bit of set-up to get through before we get to the good stuff. :)

It didn’t take but about two hours into the first day of Welcome Week for you to decide it was absolute hell. Possibly a hell crafted specifically for someone like you. The early mornings, the icebreaker games, the ridiculous activities, the forced friendliness of your dorm’s RAs…. You weren’t into it. You did your best to participate, but by the third day of cheery upperclassmen beating on your dorm door, shouting about getting ready for another _fun-filled_ day at _8am_ in the _fucking_ morning, you and Jess exchanged identical looks of exhausted fury from across the room and decided to go back to sleep.

You still hadn’t run into Gladio, although that didn’t really come as a surprise to you. You were at a decent sized college; you probably wouldn’t see him at all. It took a few days of Welcome Week “fun” to get the game store excursion out of your head, but with the official start of classes that Thursday, you found that you were kept quite busy. You were quickly realizing that college wasn’t exactly what you had thought it would be. Your schedule was full of gen eds, save for an art class you took as an elective, and they were all about as dry as your high school courses had been. You enjoyed the freedom that came with getting out of your hometown, but you found yourself lonely without your old friends.

Sure, you’d kept in contact with a few of them, but you’d imagined it would be easy to turn over a new leaf and make some buddies. It was unfortunately harder than you’d thought it would be. You weren’t the most social person, but you got lonely easily.

On top of that, Jess was becoming a problem, and it was something that not even your mutual interest of sleeping in could save. Your dorm was co-ed, but she was taking it to a whole new level. Steven Who-Gives-A-Shit had broken up with her on Tuesday, and your roommate was compensating in a way you just couldn’t get behind. Every day since then, when you’d finally gotten back to your dorm, shirt stuck to your skin from the August heat, you’d seen a hair tie dangling from the doorknob. She’d told you that it was her code, for when she was _busy_ , and you’d been too non-confrontational to argue.

You didn’t care what she did with her personal life, but there were times you _needed_ to get into your room. You expected it now, and had planned ahead accordingly by lugging your old laptop around campus in your backpack.

You were happy that you’d made it through your first week of college, that you’d never have to participate in another “Welcome Week” again. It made this Friday all the more sweet. You scanned your student ID card and slipped through the glass door of your dorm, stepping gratefully into the blessed air conditioning. Your tank top hadn’t helped to keep you cool today, although you’d had your hopes.

As you climbed the stairs towards your room, your mind wandered to your little shopping adventure. You hadn’t been back to the video game store. Maybe because the thought of seeing Gladio made nerves shoot through your chest. It wasn’t like you to crush on someone you didn’t know. And you hadn’t even played the game you’d bought, either. Just looking at it made butterflies flutter in your stomach.

You felt like such a girl. The realization left you mentally rolling your eyes.

When you pulled open the door to your floor and stepped through, your gaze shot straight to doorknob-level height.

You could see it from where you stood. The bright orange hair tie on the doorknob left you scowling, irritation rising in your gut. You wanted nothing more than to go inside and put your school stuff away, but fucking Jess just couldn’t….

You shook your head, sighing heavily and shouldering your backpack. Fuck it. You would have to talk with her tonight. But what would you do until then? Classes had only started yesterday, and you wouldn’t have any real homework until Monday.

It was your first Friday at college, and you realized you had no idea what to do. You’d made acquaintances during the week, yeah, but not hang-out-with acquaintances. You could go to the library and waste time on social media while you waited on Jess to remove the hair tie from the door.

Or you could go back to the video game store. Maybe someone had traded in something cool since last weekend. You could check out PS4 prices. Yeah, that was definitely why you wanted to go.

You decided a second adventure to a game store was ultimately more interesting than sulking around waiting, so you turned and headed back down the stairs.

You regretted your decision when you stepped out into the summer heat. _Damn_ , it was hot. You considered taking your car for a spin solely for the air conditioning, but couldn’t justify driving such a short distance. Plus, you had a great parking spot, and no way were you giving that up just yet.

You told yourself a lot of things as you walked. You told yourself that you were excited – not _nervous_ – to check out any new games the store had. You told yourself that _he_ wouldn’t be there, and that if he was, you didn’t really care.

You kept the mantra up until you reached the storefront. Someone walked out of the game shop with a bag in hand, and they politely held the door open for you as you went inside.

When you crossed the threshold of Amicit-Games, your eyes darted to the counter without your permission.

A brunette girl smiled and looked up at you when the bell chimed. “Hello! Welcome to Amicit-Games!”

“Thanks!” You grinned weakly at her, and then swiftly walked over to the first shelf you saw.

“Just, um, let me know if you need anything!” the girl called out.

“I will!”

You made your rounds of the store, much like you had last week. You tried to ignore the hint of disappointment that sat in the back of your mind. After all, you had to admit that it was pretty silly for you to assume Gladio would just so happen to be working today.

After perusing the merchandise for a few minutes, you spotted a few games you could splurge on when you had some extra money. Making mental notes in your head, you walked up to the plushie display to give it a once-over.

“We don’t have a lot of plushies, but you should definitely check out the moogles.”

The girl’s voice surprised you, and you looked over at the counter to find her smiling warmly at you. You picked up one of the white dolls and grinned at her. “You like _Final Fantasy_ , I take it?”

“I do!” she said, fishing behind the counter for a moment and producing a backpack with buttons pinned on its front.

You recognized several different franchises you liked, and one of the larger buttons was the _Final Fantasy X_ logo. “Hey, those are awesome,” you told her appreciatively, setting the moogle plushie back in its place. “Where’d you get them?”

“We sell them!” she said excitedly, pointing to a small bin at the counter. “They’re only, like, a dollar. And there’s a wide variety, so you’ll probably find something you like!”

You raised your eyebrows, walking up and peering into the container with interest. You barely remembered noticing it last time. Your attention had been… elsewhere.

“So, which game is your favorite, then?” she asked as you started pawing through the buttons. “I really like ten, although it’s sad. But the music, the graphics, I mean…. I just love it.”

You realized she meant the _Final Fantasy_ franchise. “Ten was great!” you agreed. “I thought twelve was good, but long. And nine, nine is fun. And I never got to finish seven, although I really liked what I played of it.”

As the girl was answering, a door opened and closed from somewhere in the back of the shop. The clerk looked over her shoulder towards the sound, her smile growing a little bigger. “About time I had a break!”

“Yeah, yeah, so I’m a little late. Sue me.”

You froze at the sound of the deep voice, your heart skipping a beat. So much for pretending you’d come here solely to look at games. You were suddenly very self-conscious about your appearance, praying that you didn’t look like the sweaty mess you felt you were.

Gladio walked through the door behind the counter, mouth open to say something else to his coworker. When he spotted you, his eyebrows shot up, and his open mouth quickly shifted into a grin. “Hey! It’s you!”

“Hey,” you answered, doing your best to keep your cool. “Yeah, I just stopped by for a second.”

“Iris taking good care of you?” he joked, putting a hand on the other clerk’s shoulder and jostling her a bit. “Didn’t talk your ear off, did she?”

“Hey!” the girl said, crossing her arms and frowning up at him. “I did not!”

You laughed, shifting your backpack to a more comfortable position on your shoulders. “No, no, she’s been nice. She’s about to make a sale on some buttons, actually.”

The girl looked at Gladio, clearly pleased with her marketing skills. He chuckled down at her. “Uh, huh. Weren’t you nagging me about taking a break?”

“Yes! Give me a second,” she replied, turning back to you and holding a hand out for your selected buttons.

“Na, go on. I’ll check her out,” Gladio told her, waving her away. “I made you wait long enough.”

“Thanks, Gladdy!” the girl chimed, and disappeared into the back room.

He looked over at you with a lopsided smile on his face, and you grinned back. “‘Gladdy’, huh?”

“That’s my sister, Iris,” he told you, leaning on the counter. “She’s called me that since she could talk.”

“That’s… actually kind of sweet.”

Your reply made him smirk, which you took as a good sign. He gestured towards you and said, “Well, let’s see what you got.” You set out your chosen buttons on the counter, and he surveyed them with a critical eye. “Not bad, not bad. From _Dark Souls_ to _Kingdom Hearts_. I cannot _think_ of two more opposite games.”

“Hey, I like what I like,” you defended, holding your hands up helplessly.

“I’m just teasing,” he stated with a half-smile. “So… no games to buy today, huh?”

“Oh. No, no games.”

“Really? Nothing caught your eye?” he asked, scanning your purchases and watching you curiously.

“Um, not today,” you answered, your nerves making you fiddle with your backpack strap. “It was kind of an impromptu trip.”

“Ah, I see. Well, we get new trade-ins all the time, so…. It’s good to check in. You never know,” he told you, his tone nonchalant. Before you could think of how to answer, he continued, changing the subject. “How’re classes?”

“They’re… classes,” you answered.

“Boring?” he asked.

You shrugged. “I thought it would feel less like high school, to be honest.”

“You just have to know the right people,” he advised. “Gets better as the semester goes along, I’ll tell you that.”

“Good to know,” you replied, shooting him a grin.

You suddenly realized he was holding the bag with your buttons, but hadn’t handed them to you yet. “Can I… um… get….” He trailed off, and then cleared his throat. “Your total is $3.50.”

“Right!” You had to pay. That’s what he was waiting on. Embarrassed, you hid your blush by digging your wallet out of your bag and pulling out your debit card. You were glad you didn’t have to repeat your same little faux pas from last time; you knew where to swipe.

“There you go, ma’am,” Gladio said jovially, putting the bag with your receipt in front of you on the counter. “Glad you came in.”

“Me, too,” you replied, the words leaving your lips a tad too quick. “Thanks.”

The door chimed, signaling that another customer had entered the store. You turned to go, giving Gladio a last smile.

“Anytime,” he answered amiably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladio, internally: Girl... can I have yo numba? Can I have it?


	3. Press X to Eavesdrop

Your talk with Jess went surprisingly well. You’d told her you really didn’t care if she brought guys back to the room, but that you still needed to be able to come in after class and at least set your stuff down. You’d given her your number so that the two of you could communicate when was a good evening to have company over and when was not. She’d immediately apologized (“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry!”), telling you that she was in a really bad place (“Steven is just _such_ an asshole!”), and that she hadn’t meant to offend you or anything like that.

  
After assuring her that it was fine and spending some time talking with her about her troubles, you were starting to wonder if the two of you might be able to get along after all.

  
Roommate peace restored, your mood improved significantly. Your classes had officially kicked into gear, and they kept your mind busy with talks of future assignments, tests, and projects.

  
On Wednesday afternoon you got a text from Jess, warning you that she might have someone over tonight. You shot her a message back, letting her know that it was fine, and went about your day as normal.

  
When Jess was preoccupied in the evenings, you had taken to sitting in the common area of your dorm, on the first floor. It had a TV mounted on one wall, comfortable enough seats and couches, as well as scattered tables for students to work at. And in this heat, it beat a walk to the library.

  
You headed down the dorm hall towards the common area, shrugging your backpack off as you went. The air seemed extra cold against your sweaty back, and it made you shudder involuntarily. You were pleased to find the room empty, save for two guys sitting on the corner couch snickering at a video playing on one of their phones. You recognized the pair; they were always hanging out together around the dorm. And you were pretty sure the guy with black hair was in your College Algebra class.

  
The blond one glanced up at you, but returned his attention to the screen when his dark haired friend nudged his shoulder and asked him a question. You sat down in a chair facing away from them, setting up your laptop, pulling a few folders out of your bag, and plugging your earbuds into your phone. You wouldn’t bother them.

  
You started in on your homework, becoming purposely engrossed. You’d get it done and then head to the Caf for dinner.

  
Was the food in the college cafeteria great? No. But you’d had no choice but to partake, as a (rather expensive) meal plan was required for all Freshmen students. You figured it was because the people running the place weren’t sure if a bunch of eighteen and nineteen year olds could figure out how to feed themselves on their own.

  
You listened to quiet music while you worked, tuning out the chatter of the guys across the room. You eventually lost track of time, the afternoon slipping away before you had noticed.

  
You caught movement out of the corner of your eye, and you glanced up from your laptop. You were surprised to see a familiar girl sitting at your table, reading a book. She’d been in the common area several times when you’d sought to escape Jess’ hair tie. She noticed you looking at her, and you tugged an earbud out so you could talk.

  
You noted that the other two guys in the room were having a very loud conversation, and you did your best to ignore them. “Hi,” you said to the girl, smiling politely. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were here.”

  
“Oh, no worries!” she answered hurriedly, marking her place in her novel. “I’m sorry if I startled you.”

  
You assured her it was fine, and started up a polite conversation. Her name was Willow, although she happily asked you to call her Will.

  
“I noticed that you’re in here a lot,” she commented.

  
“Yeah, my roomie is… well, busy sometimes. So I hang down here when that happens.”

  
Will’s dark eyebrow arched upwards as she smiled. “That’s funny. My roommate and I don’t really see eye to eye either. She’s very loud…. So, I come down the hall to sit in here.”

  
You found yourself hopeful, talking with this girl. She liked books, you liked books. And she was easy to hold a conversation with. Maybe you wouldn’t have to be a social outcast after all.

  
“Oh, did you see the picture Gladio sent in the group message?”

  
You caught the name from across the room, your eyes widening as you broke off in the middle of your sentence. Those guys knew Gladio? It wasn't a very common name.... It had to be the same Gladio, didn't it? Willow noticed your lapse of silence, once more raising an eyebrow, but she stayed quiet as she waited patiently for you to speak again.

  
“Yeah, man, I saw it.” You thought that was the blond guy talking, but didn’t want to risk a look over your shoulder. “That’s gonna’ look _crazy_ when it’s finished. But still, that’s a lot of money to just drop like that.”

  
“Yeah, well, it’s already started. No going back now.” You recognized the voice of the brooding kid from your algebra class. “I mean, so far the line work looks great. But he’s gotta’ wait a few weeks to go back. Let his skin heal and all that.”

  
“Jeez, I wouldn’t have the patience,” the blond lamented. “Wonder what his dad’ll think.”

  
“Eh, it’ll be fine. C’mon, Iggy says they’re outside.”

  
You heard them get to their feet, and then their conversation faded as they walked into the hall.

  
You realized that Willow was still staring at you, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. You launched back into what you were saying, but she stopped you with a laugh. “You’re fine. Did you know them?”

  
“Oh, um, no,” you stuttered out, feeling your cheeks flush at your behavior. “Sorry. They were talking about some guy I met.”

  
She stared at your red face, dark eyes flickering with a teasing mischief. However, instead of acting on it, she changed the subject back to what you were previously discussing, before you’d started eavesdropping.

  
You let out a grateful breath. You were really starting to like this girl.

  
The guys’ conversation brought up thoughts of your past visits to Amicit-Games. You felt nerves disguised as butterflies parade around your stomach.

You wondered if the little store had gotten anything new in stock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get Gladio tatted UP.


	4. Quest Added

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been too long since I updated this. Had to finish up my other fic and deal with some real life stuff, as well as a writing slump.  
> Buuuuuut I'm back! :D

Over the next few days, you realized that you were right about the dark haired guy being in your College Algebra course. He sat in the back of the class (of _course_ , you thought to yourself), and you were surprised to find no hint of the easy, boyish grin that you normally witnessed when he was with his blond friend.

Your newfound acquaintance, Willow, ended up being in the same writing course as you. You weren’t sure if you knew her well enough to call her a friend just yet, but it was definitely nice to have someone familiar to sit next to in class.

You fell into a routine rather quickly: go to class, do your work, go to sleep, get up and repeat.

You had decided that you’d have to beat the game you had bought from Amicit-Games before you returned to buy another. But it became more of a task than you’d initially thought it would be. You just didn’t have the _time_. School was really kicking up, and you only had maybe an hour in the evenings for a level or two.

As the weeks passed, Jess had become scarce. She and Steven Who-Gives-A-Shit had gotten back together, and she’d been staying at his place. You couldn’t say that you minded having the room to yourself, but you were starting to get a little lonely. You sought the company of Will, who was a quiet and comforting presence.

She was there on the Saturday that you finally finished your old PS1 adventure.

“Yes!” you hissed, watching the credits roll with a satisfaction that only nostalgia could provide.

Will looked up from her notebook, glancing over at you from her seat at your desk. “Done?”

“Done!” you affirmed happily, stretching your arms up over your head and twisting around so that your back popped.

“Congratulations!” she said with a grin, tapping her pencil against the wooden desktop. “What’s next?”

“Uh.” You hesitated, worrying your lip as you considered the question. “Well, I said I wouldn’t buy a new game until I finished this one. So, I guess I can do that now.”

“Oh, well, that’ll be nice. Got anything in mind?”

“I don’t know,” you admitted, shrugging nonchalantly. “I’ll probably head over to that little game store later today.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Is that where you said the cute guy works?”

You cleared your throat nervously. “Maybe.”

She chuckled, giving you a teasing grin as you ejected your game disk and stored it back in the case.

Ah, there it was. Your heartbeat kicked into overdrive just at the thought of stepping through the door of the shop. You had to get this stupid crush under control. It was interfering with your game-buying (and, admittedly, your daydreams), and you had no doubts that the ruggedly handsome Gladio was definitely not into you.

So you ‘sucked it up, buttercup’ and forced yourself to take that walk to Amicit-Games without a single thought on seeing a certain someone.

And that all went out the window as soon as you opened the door and the bell chimed. Your eyes shot once more to the counter, and there he was, helping another customer. You swiftly looked away, attempting to appear uninterested as you browsed the shelves of the store.

You couldn’t seem to stop yourself from periodically peeking over at Gladio. You knew the heat was sweltering today (you’d sweated on the walk over), and yet he was sporting a black, long-sleeved T-shirt. It depicted the shop logo in white on the front – a shield, with two swords crossed in front of it.

It was heatstroke waiting to happen.

The transaction at the front was wrapping up, and you diverted your attention to the games once more. You picked up one of the PS3 cases in front of you: _Telltale’s The Walking Dead_. You’d played _The Last of Us_. It seemed only right that you dive into something else that would hurt your soul.

You heard the bell ring as the other guy left the store, and you nervously regarded the game in your hand. How soon was too soon to walk over to the counter? You didn’t want to make it weird. But you had picked your game, and this shouldn’t have to be some kind of internal debate. Damn.

“Hey! Been a while!”

You felt your eyes widen, but you wiped your face of any surprise as you turned towards the back of the store. Gladio was grinning happily at you, patiently waiting on you to answer him. “Oh, yeah,” you finally replied, walking up to the counter. “School really picked up the pace for a few weeks there. But I finally finished my last game, and needed something new to play, so… here I am.”

You sounded stupid, even to yourself.

_Kill me now._

He didn’t seem to mind your failed attempts at casualness. “ _Spyro_ really kicked your ass, huh?” His amber eyes were lit with a playfulness, which was fully accentuated by his smirk.

“More like time was kicking my ass,” you corrected. “My professors aren’t letting up.”

“Now, that I can relate to,” he stated, and then held a hand out for your game. “You pick a major yet?”

You passed your purchase to him and turned your attention to the new buttons in the bin on the counter. “Eh. I don’t know. Still ‘Undeclared’ for now.” You shrugged and looked over as he started searching for your disc in a drawer. “What’s your major, anyway?”

“I’m going for Exercise Science,” he said, securing the retrieved disc in place. “But I’m leaning towards Physical Therapy.”

You raised your eyebrows and nodded. “Nice.”

You fished your wallet from your purse and quickly pulled out your card. Time to pay up. Gladio had fallen silent, and without meaning to, you blurted out, “What’s with the long sleeves in August? Aren’t you dying?”

He laughed, and then gave you a toothy grin. “I’m just trying to be professional while I’m at work.”

He tugged a sleeve up away from his wrist, and you could see a swathe of black ink. Your mind fed you echoes of the overhead conversation between the two boys in your dorm. “Oh, I see. Wow, you must be miserable in the heat.”

“Na, I just brought the long sleeves for work. Have a change of clothes for after,” he informed you, and you immediately felt awkward for assuming.

“Right. Of course.” You chuckled, doing your best to keep the nerves out of your embarrassed laugh.

As Gladio finished up the transaction, you sifted through the buttons a final time. You were worried you’d make a fool of yourself if you tried to bring up any more half-assed conversation topics.

“I’ve heard good things about Telltale,” Gladio stated into the silence, clearing his throat as he gave you your receipt. “You should try this out tonight, and tell me what you think.”

You took your bag and receipt, and did your best to smile normally back at him. “Yeah, okay. I may have some time tonight. I mean, homework can wait until tomorrow, right?”

He laughed. “Best not to waste a good Saturday.”

“Right,” you agreed, grinning as you started walking away. “Thanks!”

“See you!” he called after you.

_I wish._

You shut _that_ thought down as quickly as you could, shaking your head at yourself as you began the trek back to your dorm. Your mind replayed parts of your conversation with Gladio, highlighting the worst of your awkward statements and mannerisms. You were sure it hadn’t gone _that_ badly, although your thoughts tried to tell you otherwise.

Your dorm room was quiet. Will would be at dinner in the Caf in an hour, and you figured you could join her. You should get some homework done in the meantime.

Or you could play your game.

Entertainment won out over studies almost immediately, and you sank into your cheap beanbag chair and pulled the game from the plastic bag. You opened the case, and were in the process of reaching for the disc when you noticed something.

A piece of receipt paper had fallen out of the case and landed in front of you on the floor.

And in blockish lettering, a phone number was written, with the words ‘Text me!’ penned above it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :O


	5. Loading....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I want to take a second to say thank you for all the comments and kudos! I've never written for this fandom, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It's really uplifting, and makes me want to continue this little side project. :)
> 
> Also, I warned you about my super-nerdness, and I'm sorry if we don't have the same taste in games, but I just can't help myself. Prepare for ensuing video game shenanigans lol
> 
> Anyway, thanks for taking the time to click on a button and type some words, because it really makes my day and I appreciate it. <3
> 
> Also, fyi, since I've de-ageified the characters, here's how old everyone (so far) is in this fic:  
> Reader - 19  
> Gladio - 20  
> Ignis - 20  
> Noctis - 19  
> Prompto - 18  
> Iris - 15

“ _No_!” Prompto exclaimed, frantically mashing buttons on the GameCube controller. “You can’t win  _again_!” 

 

“Eh, I will, though,” Noctis replied, unconcerned, and he leaned forward towards the TV. 

 

Prompto sat in the floor with his back against the couch, his tongue poking out comically as he concentrated on the game. A bag of chips lay forgotten beside him, and Ignis kept eyeing him to make sure he didn't accidentally spill his soda. Prom always moved a lot when he played, and many a drink had stained the floor before now.

 

Noctis and Ignis had claimed the couch, which left Gladio the gray Goodwill recliner. He absolutely loved the beat-up old thing, and the fact that Ignis' lip curled in distaste every time he looked over at it only made Gladio love it more. Living with Ignis was interesting, to say the least. The guy liked a tidy apartment, which Gladio could get behind. But he always made sure to keep the door to his room closed, as it was definitely not up to par with Iggy's standards for 'clean'. If Specs saw it... well, he didn't want to listen to _that_ lecture anytime soon.

 

The boys took _Super Smash Bros. Melee **very**_ seriously, and they were all tired of Noctis reigning as champion. With everyone on their last life, it made the match more of a ‘three on one’ rather than a ‘every man for himself’.

 

“We’ll have to take him out,” Ignis decided, directing his character across the screen towards where his friends were battling. “I’m coming to your aid, Prompto.”

 

“Get in here, Gladio!” Prompto insisted, eyes trained on his selected avatar – a yellow Kirby. 

 

“What?” Gladio looked up at the sound of his name, setting his phone aside and picking up his controller. “Yeah, I’m on it.” 

 

“What’s your deal, anyway?” Noctis questioned, thumbs expertly skating across his controller. 

 

“What are you talking about?” Gladio asked innocently, tilting the analog stick and starting his character’s run towards all the action. 

 

“You’ve been rather distracted this evening,” Ignis told him, and then groaned as he watched his avatar – Ness – get blasted into the sky by Noct. “Damn.” 

 

“Yeah, you’ve been checking your phone every five seconds. It’s not like we haven’t noticed,” Prompto agreed, rapidly pressing buttons to punch at Noctis’ character, Marth. 

 

“Whatever,” Gladio dismissed. “A man can’t look at his phone every now and then? Lay off.” 

 

After his statement, coincidentally, Gladio’s phone screen lit up with some sort of notification, and he immediately turned to check it. 

 

 _Damn it. Just Facebook._  

 

“Gladio!” Prompto accused as Noct attacked Gladio’s immobile character, Link.

 

“I got it, I got it,” Gladio grumbled, beginning his retaliation much too late. 

 

His character fell off the edge of the map, and a quick up-B was not enough to save him. Inevitably, it was once again Noctis versus Prompto. Gladio sighed and put the controller down in his lap. He stretched out his legs and rested his feet on the ottoman, slouching down in the armchair. Ignis glanced over from his spot on the couch, ignoring the shouts of the other two for a moment.

 

"Is something bothering you?" Ignis asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically. 

 

"Don't worry about it," Gladio stated, choosing to stare at the TV rather than meet his roommate's gaze. "Just something at work. Kind of." 

 

"Is it the tattoo?" Prompto spoke up. "Did someone say something about it?" 

 

"No," Gladio grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Gave a girl my number." 

 

"Ah," Ignis said, nodding his head in understanding and adjusting his glasses. "I see." 

 

Gladio grimaced. He'd already told his roommate about you, and had mentioned wanting to get to know you better – outside of his family's store. Not knowing when you were going to walk into Amicit-Games sucked, although he couldn't deny that the chance of seeing you always made his shift a little more appealing. Ignis had listened patiently and suggested that he ask for your number. 

 

At the time, Gladio had figured you'd find his note... interesting? Charming? But now he was riddled with doubts. 

 

"So, what, you waiting on a text?" Noctis questioned, a hint of a smirk on his lips. 

 

"Shut up," Gladio shot back, rolling his eyes. 

 

"And suck it!" Prompto cheered, finally bashing Noct's character off the edge of the screen. 

 

"And that's the game!" Ignis chimed. 

 

"What?! No!" Noctis exclaimed in distress. He leaned over and glowered down at Prompto, who grinned happily up at him. "I call rematch." 

 

"Ah, this feels great," Prompto stated, turning back to the TV with a shit-eating grin. "Look at that! Noct, not in first place. I like it." 

 

"Well, don't get used to it," Noctis grumbled, pressing the 'start' button to begin a new game. "You guys in?" 

 

"Very well," Ignis said. "But I'm not playing as Ness again." 

 

"Gladio?" Noctis asked. 

 

"I'm out for this round," Gladio answered, setting his controller on the end table. "I'm ready to see Iggy kick both of your asses." 

 

"Yeah, okay," Noctis replied with a quick roll of his eyes. 

 

"So, a girl, huh?" Prompto asked, selecting a new character from the game's roster. "Where'd you meet her?" 

 

"The shop," Gladio said. "She came in during Welcome Week. Been in a few times." 

 

"Well, is she cute?" Prom asked, glancing over at Gladio. 

 

He felt himself grin. "Very." 

 

Gladio could see you in his mind's eye. Your pleasant smile, the slight flush of your cheeks when you thought you were being awkward. It was pretty endearing, if he said so himself. 

 

"All the cute girls come in when  _you_ work," Noctis complained. "I never see anyone on my shift." 

 

"Luck of the draw," Gladio said, smirking over at Noct. 

 

"I wouldn't be so smug just yet," Noctis replied evenly as the match started, "Mr. Waiting-for-a-Text." 

 

Gladio didn't answer. 

 

He browsed through his social media apps, trying to distract himself. Still, he couldn't help but think that it would've been easier to have done things Iggy's way. He should've just asked for your number, like any normal human being would have. Then he wouldn't have to sit around, waiting like an idiot. It would've been nice to know right then whether you were interested or not. 

 

He had shrugged off his mood by the time Noctis had beaten Prom and Ignis. Gladio put his phone on silent and focused on the game, intent on winning. He joked and antagonized everyone just like normal, grinning every time he got in a good hit. The urge to check his phone was there, but he ignored it until the end of the match. Ignis had come out on top, choosing to play as Sheik. 

 

Gladio was laughing at the sneer on Noctis' face, and then he reached over and picked up his phone. 

 

His heart stuttered a little bit when he realized he had a text from an unknown number. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Gladio chapter? Ayyy :D
> 
> Edit: The formatting has some kind of kink in it that I, for the life of me, cannot figure out how to fix. :( Sorry!


	6. N00b

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready for the awkwardness?  
> I'm ready for the awkwardness. :)

The Caf was noisy, the bustle of activity doing nothing to help settle your nerves. But you couldn't sit alone in your room anymore. Not with your thoughts going a mile a minute. You used your ID card to swipe in, but skipped the line for food. You sought out one of the corner booths towards the back of the Caf, where Willow usually liked to sit. Thankfully, she was there, and you made a beeline towards her.

“Will,” you stated, plopping down in the seat across from her.

"Hey," she replied, dark eyes taking note of your lack of food. "Not hungry?"

Your stomach was twisted with apprehension, and you knew there was no way you'd be able to put food into it just yet. "No, I'm... uh... not hungry, no."

Willow put her fork down, her brows coming together as she held your gaze. "What's wrong?"

You weren't sure how to word exactly what was going on in your head, so you simply slapped the square of receipt paper down on the table between the two of you. The corner of it was immediately soaked in the condensation from Willow's glass, and she quickly picked it up before any of the ink could smudge. She studied the words for a brief second before her expression shifted into a grin. "Oh. Okay, I see. Who gave you this?"

"The... The guy at the game store," you admitted, your face heating up. "He put it in the case of the game I bought. I just... I don't know.... What do I do?"

"Aww, that's cute!" Willow commented, handing the paper back to you and picking up her fork. "And what do you mean, 'what do you do'? What do you  _want_ to do?" she asked you as she speared a piece of what looked like overcooked chicken.

"I don't know!" you said, groaning and folding your arms on the table. "I mean, what's it mean, you know?"

"It  _probably_ means that he wants you to text him," Willow answered, shrugging.

You worried your lip for a moment, and then pulled out your phone. "I guess... but what should I say?"

Will looked over at you incredulously, and you were sure she was hiding a giggle at your question. "Maybe just say 'Hi'?"

You heaved a sigh, resting your cheek on your hand as you propped your elbow up on the table. "I'm being stupid, huh?"

"No, you're just nervous," Willow said, giving you a kind smile. "You must really like him."

"Oh, God, don't say that," you insisted, covering your face with your hands. "I don’t even know him."

Will put a finger to her chin, as if she was thinking hard about something, and then pointed at you. "You know, you're right! And that  _could_ be remedied by texting him."

You rolled your eyes, fighting a smile as you forced a big frown. "Yeah, okay, point taken."

You plugged Gladio's number into your phone (double checking it three times before mentally scolding yourself at being anxious over nothing), and then opened up a new message to him. You stared at the blank text box, the keyboard flashing up and waiting for you to type.

"Maybe I'll eat first," you mumbled out loud, locking your phone and getting up from the table at the same time.

The chicken was indeed overcooked.

You took your time eating, although you barely tasted any of your food. You made yourself talk about classes and homework and generic school shit while you sat with Will. She didn't push you about your previous (and more interesting) topic of conversation, which you were thankful for. It wasn't until later into the evening, when the both of you had finished eating soft-serve ice cream for dessert, that you pulled out your phone again.

"Okay, I'm just gonna' say...." You trailed off, thumbs hovering over the phone keyboard.

"It doesn't have to be anything long," Willow prompted. "You don't have to type out a novel. Just start with a greeting! And, um, maybe add your name, so he knows it's you."

You glanced at her, lip between your teeth, and nodded. "Right. Okay." Your thumbs quickly mashed at your phone screen, and one accidental slip caused you to send a message.

Your first text to the handsome-as-fuck game store clerk.

_'He'_

"He," you said flatly. "He. Wow. Fuck me. I just sent him 'He' instead of 'Hey'."

"Oh," Will said with a giggle, watching you as you furiously corrected your mistake and added who you were to finish the text. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Oh, God, I'm doomed," you moaned, folding your arms and putting your forehead down on top of them.

"Hey, he's just a guy," Will told you, patting your arm until you looked up at her. "Seriously, nothing to worry about. Just a regular ol' human being, okay?"

"Yeah, I know," you said, face red with chagrin. "I just... I don't really...."

Your phone buzzed. You felt your stomach drop, and you opened the message as you said, "He answered!"

"Hey, that was fast," Willow commented, her eyebrows going up as she nodded her head.

_'Hey! Good to hear from you_

_Having fun killing zombies?'_

You felt yourself grin, and a small smirk made its way onto Will's face. "Smiling at your phone already?"

"Ha, ha," you told her sarcastically. "He's asking me about the game I bought. But I haven't played any of it yet."

Will grinned and started gathering her dishes. "Well, hope you get to play it, and tell him  _all_ about it. But I've got a quiz to study for, so I'm heading back."

"I'll walk with you," you replied.

On the trek back to the dorm, you glanced at your phone while you talked with Will. You weren't sure what to say next.  _Having fun killing zombies?_ He was funny.Should you try to be funny, too?

_'Haven't started the bloodbath yet! Had to eat first'_

You felt as if your reply was cringe-worthy, but what was sent was sent, and there wasn't anything you could do about it. You told Willow goodnight, and started heading up the stairs to your floor. As you had suspected, upon reaching your room Jess was still nowhere to be found.

You turned on your PS3 and settled into your purple bean bag again. You could justify playing for a little bit.

The game hadn't quite finished loading when your phone vibrated.  _Had to eat first_ was the last thing you'd said to him.

_'Ah, not human flesh, I hope_ _'_

You snickered quietly to yourself, rolling your eyes as you started typing.

_'I mean, the best way to play a game is to become fully immersed in it...._

_But nah, just had some gross chicken from the Caf'_

You hadn't even had time to pick up your controller before Gladio had replied.

_'Glad to hear the students were spared_

_My roommate hasn't let me eat in the caf since we moved in together. He likes to cook'_

You stared at the message for a while, thumbs waving helplessly over the phone screen. What were you supposed to say? How were you going to keep the conversation going? And where  _was_ the conversation going, anyway? You let out a long breath, and then started typing.

_'Oh, cool. I take it you guys live off campus, then? Or are you both living in a dorm and wasting the school's very generous mandatory meal plan'_

You hoped he picked up on your sarcasm.

You started the game while you waited (rather impatiently) for Gladio to answer. The opening cutscene had begun when you felt your phone buzz.

_'Yeah, we live at hightower apartments. The college owns them_

_I don't miss the dorms'_

You sat your phone aside and took a few seconds to make some choices in your game while you pondered what to say back. By the time you'd checked your phone again, you had another text.

_'Oh, and thanks for texting me. You seemed pretty cool, so I thought we could be friends_

_Maybe we could hang out sometime'_

Your heart sounded a little loud in your ears, and you had to pause your game. You definitely couldn't focus on both the zombie apocalypse  _and_ Gladio at the same time.

You typed out and deleted about five different responses before you settled on one.

_'Sure, I'm okay with that'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to xXSabinchenXx for saying they'd probably send an unfinished text! :D


	7. Bread: +2 Health

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where do you go from texting your crush???  
> To talking in person, of course!

"He seems very outdoorsy," Willow commented, propping her elbow up on your desk. "An outdoorsy guy who works in a video game store. Nice." 

 

“I had no idea his tattoo was that big,” you deadpanned as you continued to scroll down Gladio’s Facebook page. “Jeez.”

 

You and Willow were focused on your laptop, which was sitting on top of a pile of papers on your desk. Searching for Gladio's unusual name on Facebook had quickly led you to his profile (you had no trouble recognizing his face – hot damn). 

 

Gladiolus Amicitia. 

 

He seemed like a very social guy. The pictures he'd been tagged in (that were public) showed him out hiking and camping, spending time with his friends and family. The newest picture had been taken by a 'Prompto Argentum', and it showed their group having a get together for game night. Luckily, the picture had everyone's names tagged to their faces.

 

So, Prompto was the blond guy that lived in your dorm. Noctis, who you recognized as the boy from your Algebra class, was looking upset in the picture, and a guy you didn't know named 'Ignis' was smiling smugly over at him. Gladio was wearing sweats and a tank top, and from just the picture, you could tell that the unfinished tattoo spread up his arms and around his chest and back. Your suspicions of Gladio being fit as  _fuck_ were also confirmed. 

 

"Should I friend him?" you asked, moving the cursor to hover over the 'Add Friend' button. "Would that be weird?" 

 

"You worry  _way_ too much," Will replied, giving you a look and a smile. "You're already texting him. So, why not?" 

 

"Alright, alright," you grumbled, and then finally clicked the button. "There. Done." 

 

"Good," Willow stated, nodding. "And right on time. We should start walking to class." 

 

You closed your laptop without shutting it down as you agreed. 

 

Getting to know Gladio wasn't that hard. He was pretty much an open book, and for every question you asked, he'd given an answer and then shot a query back at you. You hadn't seen him in person since he'd slipped you his number, but you found yourself looking around for him on campus every now and then. 

 

Willow left for the library after your shared class, telling you that she wouldn't be able to eat lunch with you today. You absolutely did not mind eating alone (your introversion was definitely playing a part in this decision), so you started your walk to the Caf. 

 

It thankfully wasn't a thousand degrees today. The sun was hidden behind a bank of gray clouds, and although you were glad to be out of any direct heat, you were almost positive the humidity would soon drown you. 

 

You were about halfway to the Caf when you felt your phone buzz. You couldn't help but grin as you retrieved it from your pocket - he always texted you when he got out of class. 

 

 _'Hey! What's up?'_  

 

\-- 

 

The path to the Student Center was overly crowded, although Gladio hadn’t really noticed. He was busy scrolling through your Facebook page, having just accepted your friend request. He was interrupted by a text from Iggy, asking if he was ready to meet up for lunch. The Student Center had several fast food restaurants tucked away inside of it, and Specs would always choose those over the Caf any day. 

 

Before he could send a reply to the message, a text notification banner popped up at the top of his screen. Gladio tapped it, pulling up your message. 

 

 _‘Not doing anything, actually. Just got out of class, bout to grab lunch_  

 _You?’_  

 

Gladio raised an eyebrow as he thought, and he reread your text. Should he go for it? He narrowed his eyes and decided he might as well. 

 

 _'You're not doing anything, I'm not doing anything_  

 _Come eat with me and my roommate!'_  

 

He looked up from his phone to see Ignis leaning on the wall outside of the Student Center, tucking a folder into his messenger bag. He was almost to Specs when he felt his phone vibrate. 

 

 _'Really? I don't want to intrude...'_  

 

He snorted out loud as he replied ( _'You're not intruding!_ '), which prompted Ignis to ask, "What's the joke?" 

 

“I invited someone to eat lunch with us,” Gladio informed him, shrugging.

 

“Someone, hmm?” Specs asked, matching Gladio’s pace as they strolled through the doors of the Student Center. “You couldn’t possibly mean your newfound crush.”

 

"Hey, hey, don't put a label on it," Gladio answered gruffly. After a moment's pause, he added, "But yeah, her." 

 

"Well, did she accept?" Ignis asked as the boys made their way to one of the student center booths. 

 

Gladio checked his phone and found that you had indeed replied to him. 

 

 _'Well, if you're sure, then alright! Where are you guys at?'_  

 

"Yes!" he said aloud, which Ignis took as the answer to his question. 

 

"Alright. Save our booth," he told Gladio, rising from the table. "I'm going to make my lunch selection." 

 

"Yeah, yeah," Gladio replied, waving his hand in dismissal as he explained to you where he was. "I'll be here." 

 

You still hadn't arrived by the time Specs returned, so Gladio got up to get his own food. He sent you a text while he waited in line, suggesting you get your lunch before coming to find him and Ignis – the rush of hungry students was about to hit. 

 

He returned to the booth and waited, attempting to appear as nonchalant as possible. Still, his eyes scanned the crowd of people walking by, searching for your face. 

 

And then there you were. 

 

Your eyes met, and he watched as a shy smile lifted your lips. He grinned and raised a hand, waving you over to the table. 

 

\-- 

 

"Hey," you said, working to keep the nerves out of your voice as you walked up to where the guys were sitting. 

 

"Hey, you found us," Gladio stated, giving you a lopsided grin and a thumbs-up. 

 

He scooted over in his side of the booth, and you realized he was making room for you to sit.  _Oh, God, be cool. Don't spill your drink or drop your shit or something._  

 

"I'm Ignis Scientia," Ignis said to you, adjusting his glasses. "Or if that's too unorthodox for you, my peers and friends have taken to calling me 'Specs'. Or 'Iggy', if you must." 

 

You laughed as you took your seat, shrugging off your bag and setting it down by your feet. "'Ignis' is fine. It's good to meet you!" 

 

You introduced yourself and put the sandwich you bought onto the table. The guys had already started eating, so you busied yourself with unwrapping your lunch. 

 

And then Ignis and Gladio started talking, including you in the conversation as if you had always sat at lunch with them. Ignis asked about your class schedule, your major, if you had any tests coming up. And then Gladio started talking about music and books, figuring out if there were any shared favorites between the three of you. 

 

And you couldn't help but notice him as he talked. He was absolutely handsome, and even more so when he laughed. He was a looker, yeah, but it wasn't just his appearance that was attractive. This guy had depth to him, and you found yourself liking him more and more. It was simply impossible  _not_ to like him. He was very personable, despite his slightly intimidating appearance. 

 

You never dreamed you'd be hanging out with the store clerk who sold you video games. 

 

Had he scooted over closer to you? You couldn't be sure (and you didn't want to assume), but his knee kept bumping into yours, and his arm brushed against your shoulder several times. The little touches made your stomach do flips. He was warm, and his skin was tan from the summer sun. 

 

Sitting by Gladio gave you the opportunity to get a closer look at his tattoo, and you were shocked by the details. Intricate feathers were laced up his arms, the ink dark against his skin. His shoulders held the rest of the bird's wings, and you wondered what it would look like once it was completed. You tried not to let your eyes linger for too long, so he wouldn't think you were a total creep. But the little smirk that ghosted across his face made you think you hadn't looked away fast enough. 

 

"Well, this has been lovely, but I believe we all have class to attend," Ignis said, balling up his trash and pulling the strap of his messenger bag onto his shoulder. 

 

"Right!" you said quickly, gathering your sandwich wrapper and grabbing your backpack so you could let Gladio out of the booth. 

 

The three of you started walking towards the front of the Student Center, passing the bookstore and the other little food joints along the way. Gladio casually grinned at you and said, "Thanks for coming." 

 

"It was fun," you replied, returning his smile and following Ignis outside. 

 

"You're free to join us anytime," Ignis added kindly. He turned to Gladio, and then said, "I'll see you at the apartment, then." 

 

"See ya'," Gladio said back, and the both of you watched as Specs departed. Gladio glanced over at you, and asked, "Which way are you headed?" 

 

"Over to Harris," you said, gesturing in the direction of the aforementioned building. "You?" 

 

"Wright," he stated with a grin. "Looks like we're going in the same direction. I'll walk with you." 

 

"Fine by me," you answered, smiling happily as your heartbeat skipped. 

 

You both began to walk, although you felt like 'swim' would be a more appropriate term in regards to the humidity. 

 

"So, what did you think of Specs?" Gladio asked, tucking his hands into his shorts pockets. 

 

"He seemed nice," you told him. "Easy to get along with. I can see how you guys would be friends." 

 

"Yeah, I guess so," Gladio agreed, nodding his head. "He's a good guy." 

 

He continued to idly chit-chat with you until you reached your destination. You both paused outside of the doors, and you did your best to reign in your awkwardness. 

 

"Well, thanks for walking with me," you stated. 

 

"Anytime," Gladio answered. You turned to go, but he said, "Hey, what are you doing later?" 

 

You looked back over at him with your eyebrows raised. "Oh. Uh, just going to the library to study. Why?" 

 

He cleared his throat and pursed his lips. "You mind if I join you?" 

 

"Oh," you said intelligently, staring at him for a moment too long. "Oh, uh, yeah, that's fine. It'll, um, probably be boring, though." 

 

"Na, it'll be fine," he replied with a winning smile. "Text me when, alright?" 

 

"Yeah, okay," you said back, his smile prompting your own. 

 

"Great!" Gladio said. "Alright, see you then." 

 

And then he turned to go. 

 

"See you then," you repeated, wondering what the hell you were getting yourself into. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STUDY DATE?!


	8. Game On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I realize it's been about eighty years since I posted for this story, and I'm so sorry! I mentioned this in the other fic I'm writing, but basically I had to take a bit to get my anxiety and mental health in check.  
> Thanks for your patience!  
> I've got a lot going on irl, so I'll be posting chapters when I can.  
> This fic is a fun one for me, so have no fears about me abandoning it. I'll be seeing it through until the end!  
> <3

You were excited that you’d been able to find an empty study room at the library. There was a large group of students at a table in the open area of the building who were not abiding by the "be quiet in a library" rule at all, and you wanted to be as far away from them as possible. You were easily distracted, which made studying in your dorm – with all of your game equipment literally three feet from you – a no-go.

The library study room wasn't anything fancy; it only had a small, wooden table and two black desk chairs. But it was secluded away from the rest of the library, and that was good enough for you. After you had texted Gladio where you were at, you’d set up your laptop and pretended you weren’t staring out of the room window and waiting on him to arrive.

And when he had walked up and seen you watching for him, he’d given you a wide smile and a wave.

“Found ya’,” he stated, opening the door to the room and closing it carefully behind him.

“Hope this is okay,” you told him. “We can move if you want.”

“Nah, this is great. It’s good to study somewhere besides the shop or my room.” He walked around you and settled down in the chair across the table.

“Okay, awesome,” you replied, internally screaming as you tried to think of what to say next.

Gladio busied himself with pulling out his large spiral notebook. There were several loose pages sticking out of the sides, and you guessed he’d used it for notes last year, too. “Guess we’ll get to it, then,” he said happily.

“Yeah,” you agreed, forcing your gaze back to your computer.

Your eyes skimmed over the terms you were supposed to be memorizing, but you were kidding yourself if you believed you were taking in any information. The study rooms in the library weren’t exactly large, and you kept glancing up at Gladio. In a way, he was also a distraction, albeit a silent one.

He seemed to be making a lot more study progress than you were. He turned another page of his notes, and your eyes went back to your computer screen. Your lips moved silently as you did your best to memorize your vocabulary terms.

Time slowly passed, and you were grateful that Gladio seemed like he was a man content with silence. He was a stoic kind of guy, but he gave off a feeling of ease rather than gruffness. It made it easier for you to eventually relax, to focus on the task at hand. Which was learning stupid vocab terms so you didn't fail your test.

“What was that?”

The question startled you, and you looked up to see Gladio watching you curiously. Maybe you hadn’t been mouthing words as silently as you’d thought you’d been.

“Sorry,” you told him sheepishly, “I didn’t say anything. I usually... read out loud when I study.”

“You can study out loud if you want,” Gladio said, grinning. “Or maybe I can help.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that,” you answered quickly, shaking your head. “I’ve got it.”

“Nah, really, what are you studying?” Gladio asked, and his genuine smile melted your resolve.

"List of terms for Political Science," you lamented, making a face as you motioned to your laptop screen. "None of it's hard, but it's been a few years since I took Law in high school, you know?"

Gladio rolled his desk chair over to your side of the table, one of the armrests bumping into your own chair as he leaned forward. "Ah. Yeah, I remember Political Science." He gave you a sly grin, and with a single finger, turned your laptop to face him. "How about I read you the definitions, and you tell me what the term is."

"I thought you had to study, too," you told him, looking pointedly over at his thick spiral notebook.

"I can do that later," he said simply, a shrug accentuating his words. "C'mon, you want to pass your test or not?"

"I'd like to pass," you grumbled, rolling your eyes as you smiled back at him.

Damn, that smile was infectious. You wondered if he was aware of this fact, if he'd used that smile on all of the other college girls who'd wandered into Amicit-Games....

You tried not to dwell on it.

But Gladio made studying fun, which was saying something. He'd give you a thumbs-up and a wolfy grin when you got a term right, and if you were wrong, he'd help you think of some ridiculous way to remember it. Soon the both of you were laughing and telling stories instead of looking at terms, and he finally pointed out that fact.

"I don't think any of this will be on the test," he told you, amused.

"Well, if I have no idea what to write, I'll just recount the grand tale of when Gladio Amicitia tripped and fell down a hill while hiking. It's bound to get me bonus points."

"Ah, dammit," Gladio swore, feigning distress. "I really shouldn't have told you that one. Noct still hasn't let me live it down."

"I mean, did anyone try to help you?" you questioned as you leaned over on your chair's armrest.

"You kidding?" he asked, letting out a disbelieving snort. "The three of them practically fell down after me from laughing so hard."

You snickered at the expression on his face, and he rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. This is study time, not laugh at Gladio time."

He read off a definition, and you were surprised when he told you your answer was wrong.

"What? No way," you said quickly, hearing the pneumonic device Gladio had made up for the term echo in your head. "That one isn't wrong. You totally read the wrong line!"

You leaned over towards him and turned the laptop screen to face you. You scanned the list of terms (which was, in your opinion, way too fucking long for a Political Science  _Freshman_ class) and found the definition he'd read to you. "See?" you said, pointing to it.

"Well, look at that," Gladio said, leaning towards the screen as well. "My bad."

And you were suddenly very aware of how close his face was to yours. His hand was resting on the laptop's keyboard, right by your own. You glanced at him to find that he was looking over at you as well. Your cheeks felt very warm, and you could feel your heartbeat quicken.

You decided that his eyes were the color of honey.

His pinkie finger brushed against yours, and the sensation made your stomach leap.

Was he turning to face you? His head tilting, his fingers sliding across the top of your hand....

And then his phone went off, the loud noise practically echoing around the small study room.

You jumped and pulled away, inhaling sharply in surprise. Gladio seemed frozen next to the computer screen for a second, and then he sat back in his chair as he picked his phone up off of the table.

The atmosphere changed, the moment between the two of you swiftly vanishing as if it had never happened.

"Time to go to work," Gladio told you in explanation as he silenced the alarm. He stood up from his chair, tucking his phone into his pocket. "Have that set so I won't be late."

"Right," you answered weakly. You felt a little dazed, and you quietly cleared your throat. You remembered that you were in public, in a library, with a guy you'd only known for a few weeks. "Right! Hey, thanks for studying with me. I feel like I'll be able to pass now."

"Yeah, anytime," Gladio replied, gathering his things and shooting you an easygoing smile. "Alright if I text you later? It'll probably be a slow evening."

"Sure," you said, nodding. "Yeah, that'll work."

"Thanks," he stated with a half-smile, hand on the doorknob. "Well.... Be seeing you, then."

"See you," you replied as he walked out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \\(o.o)/  
> FLUFF


	9. Player Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am absolutely drowning in angst in my other fic, so I had to retreat here and write some fluff-ish stuff lol  
> I'm not a fluff writer, so stories like this take me a little longer to write. But this chapter is longer, so I hope that makes up for it!  
> GLADIO TIME, YAAS  
> CHILLIN' WITH THE CHOCOBROS  
> I'LL SEE MYSELF OUT  
> THANKS

Tuesdays and Thursdays were now your ‘Gladio days’. Willow had coined the term, and it had immediately stuck in your head. You eventually gave up on fighting her light teasing. You were falling for the guy, and falling hard; there was no more denying it. 

 

You really looked forward to your Tuesdays and Thursdays. You’d eat lunch with Gladio and Ignis, and then meet Gladio in the library after class to study. ‘Study’ was kind of a loose term, however. The both of you would mostly get caught up talking, and you’d have to re-study everything in your room afterwards. But each time, you decided it was worth it. 

 

The semester was slowly creeping along, and even though it was late September, the summer heat had still not let up. This Thursday had you and Gladio sitting in the library together, tucked away in a corner booth. You hated when all of the study rooms were occupied, but you had to admit that your work ethic improved greatly when you and your companion could only hold conversation in hushed tones. 

 

Gladio tapped a finger in the center of the table to get your attention. When you had leaned forward, he put his book down and whispered, “Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?” 

 

“Class,” you whispered back. “You know, the usual. But I have a test in Bio, so I should be out early. Why?” 

 

“We’re having a Friday game night at my place. Wanna’ come?” he asked with a half-smile. “We usually play  _Smash Bros._ , although Prompto said he’s thinking about bringing  _Mario Party_.” 

 

“Which  _Mario Party_?” you questioned. 

 

“Dunno,” Gladio replied, shrugging his broad shoulders. 

 

You made an uncertain noise in the back of your throat. “Sounds sketchy to me. Mario has way too many parties.” 

 

“Yeah, sure, okay,” Gladio said, rolling his eyes and then flashing you his signature winning grin. “Parties are fun. Mario knows what’s up.” 

 

“Why do you and your friends only want to play games designed to ruin friendships?” you asked, laughing quietly. 

 

“That’s what every group of friends does,” Gladio told you, waving his hand in dismissal. “So, what, are you in or not?” 

 

“I mean, I don’t know. I don’t want to crash you guys’ sacred game night,” you answered, your tone light but still maintaining a note of seriousness. “I haven’t really  _officially_  met any of your friends but Ignis. I see the other two around, but it’s not like we’re going out of our way to talk. I think me being there will make it awkward.” 

 

“What? No!” Gladio said, rolling his eyes and snorting. “I mean, I may have already told everyone you were coming. But hey, if you’re uncomfortable, don’t worry about it. I just figured it would be fun to hang out somewhere off campus for a change.” 

 

Your brow furrowed as you thought the proposition through. “Uh, well…. I don’t know. What did they say when you told them?” 

 

Gladio picked up his phone and unlocked it, an amused expression on his face. He thumbed through a few screens and then stated, “Well, Iggy wanted to know if you were allergic to anything. Food-wise. He wants to make burgers. Noctis just asked if you were any good at  _Smash_  – please, for the love of  _God_ , beat him at  _Smash_. It would make my day.” He glanced up at you, a mischievous glint in his amber eyes. His gaze flickered back to the screen, and he scrolled down a bit further before saying, “Aaaand Sunshine sent a bunch of excited emojis.” 

 

“Sunshine?” you asked, intrigued. 

 

“Prompto. You’ll get why, don’t worry,” Gladio told you, setting his phone back down on the table. “So, there you go. Complete approval, if that’s what you were worried about.” 

 

You sighed heavily and shook your head. “Well... I guess it does sound fun.” 

 

Your stomach did flips as Gladio grinned triumphantly. 

 

\-- 

 

You sat silently in your vehicle, staring at the apartment building in front of you. It wasn’t the best complex you’d ever seen (it was still university housing, after all), but it looked better than the dorms. You wondered briefly if  you could afford to move into a place like this your Sophomore year. 

 

Your stomach felt like a boxer had recently used it for a punching bag. You worried your lip and checked Gladio’s text again. 

 

 _‘It’s number_ _202!’_  

 

He’d offered to pick you up, but you’d decided to drive yourself. Gladio’s apartment wasn’t a long ways from the college, and you didn’t think you’d need your phone’s GPS to find your way back. 

 

 _‘Here!’_ you typed out, sending the message to Gladio and forcing yourself into motion. You could do this. Willow had helped you pick out a cute outfit, and you’d even tried to do something with your hair. You were awkward, yeah, but at least you already knew Ignis. That only left two new people, and you could deal with that. 

 

You climbed up the apartment’s metal stairwell and located the door with a golden ‘202’ glinting on its front. You held up a hand to knock when you heard footsteps approaching from the other side. 

 

“Hang on a second, she says she’s –” Gladio’s voice stated, and in the middle of his sentence, he opened the door. 

 

You gave him a hesitant wave, and once he got over his surprise, his lips lifted into an easy smile. “Oh, hey! I was coming out to meet you in the parking lot.” 

 

“Thought I’d get lost, huh?” you teased. “Thanks, though.” 

 

He smirked as he stepped back, opening the door wider so that you could cross the threshold. “Come on in, then.” 

 

As you stepped into Gladio's world, you were at once surprised that an apartment owned by two guys could be so... tidy. If you were being honest, it looked better than any room you'd ever decorated. The school apartments weren't at all 'fancy', but the décor the guys had chosen gave the place style. 

 

You spotted several posters on the walls of movies you liked (and they were in frames –  _frames_!), and there were two bookshelves in the living room alone. Next to a standing lamp in the corner was some sort of potted plant, which seemed at least half-alive. There were also picture frames perched on different shelves and surfaces near the walls. The coffee table looked very modern, as did the TV stand. And the television itself was big enough to deserve a second glance from you. (Holy hell. Had all four of them chipped in to buy that monster of a screen?) They had also covered the room's ugly brown carpet with a giant rug that matched the furniture (there was, however, a gray recliner that seemed oddly out of place). 

 

Two faces peered at you from over the back of the couch, game paused on the TV. Gladio happily introduced you to Noctis and Prompto, who both greeted you in a friendly manner. 

 

"Algebra, right?" Noctis asked, his words drawn out in a sort of lazy drawl. 

 

"Yeah, with Professor Hollins. I think I've seen you in there," you answered. 

 

"And you live in Baylor?" Prompto asked, pointing at you. 

 

They both watched you expectantly, and you raised an eyebrow. "Yes? I've seen you guys around there, too." 

 

"Told you," Prompto crowed, pushing on Noctis' shoulder as he turned back to face the TV. "Even Gladio told you." 

 

"Shut up," Noctis groaned, rolling his eyes as he unpaused their game. 

 

You looked over at Gladio for an explanation, and he grinned at you. "He hates being wrong. Swore up and down that you didn't stay in Baylor." 

 

"Shut up," you heard Noctis mumble again. 

 

"Ah, glad you made it," a voice you recognized stated, and you looked to your right to see Ignis standing in the apartment's small kitchen. This room was well put together, too, going along with the theme of the living room. Ignis flipped a sizzling hamburger patty in a pan on the stove. "And just in time, too. Food's almost done." 

 

"Good, 'cause I'm starving," Prompto chimed from the living room. 

 

Ignis rolled his eyes, and you felt Gladio put a hand on your arm. "Come on, let's sit," he suggested. 

 

"Sure," you agreed, and the both of you made your way over towards Noctis and Prompto. 

 

"Move over," Gladio told them, which made Noctis shoot him a look. 

 

"What? Why?" he asked, looking pointedly at the gray recliner. 

 

"Just do it," Gladio stated gruffly. 

 

"Hey, I got it," Prompto piped up, grabbing one of the couch's pillows and hopping down into the floor. 

 

"What, no," you said hurriedly. "You don't have to sit in the floor." 

 

And to your surprise, the blond laughed. "Aw, I know I don't have to. I usually sit in the floor anyway." 

 

"He does," Gladio and Noctis said at almost the same time. "I used to offer him my desk chair," Gladio continued, and then sat down on the couch by Noctis. "I don't bother anymore." 

 

"Really, I'm fine!" Prompto assured you, grinning for a second before his blue eyes snapped back to the television. 

 

Gladio patted the space next to him on the couch, and you gave in. Almost at once, your heart started beating a little faster. It annoyed you that every time you were even a  _little_ close to Gladio it made butterflies flutter in your stomach. 

 

You both watched Prompto and Noctis battle it out in  _Smash_ , and it was easy for you to see that Noctis was going to be a real problem. These guys were on another level. You used to play with your friends, and you'd been pretty good at the game, but no way could you hold a candle to Noctis. 

 

Your silent point was proven soon after you'd been given a controller. Noctis had taken out Prompto first, and then happily moved on to you. Gladio nudged your shoulder and stated, "You'll be avenged, I promise." 

 

And then he, too, was annihilated by his friend. 

 

By the time the round was over, Ignis proclaimed that the food was ready. While the rest of you got your plates, Ignis took his food and drink and sat down on the couch where Noctis had been. Prompto returned to his spot on the floor, and you and Gladio settled back on the couch. When Noctis reentered the room, he scowled at Ignis and made a show of dragging the gray recliner closer to the TV, so that the GameCube controller could reach. 

 

You watched the guys play while you ate (God, had you ever  _had_ a burger that good before?), and Noctis inevitably won again. The person in fourth place would switch off with whoever wasn't playing, and you quickly found yourself having a good time, whether you lost or not. 

 

Eventually, you were waiting for a turn and Gladio ended up being the first to lose. He passed you the controller as he watched the rest of the match, and then casually stretched his arm up and let it rest behind you on the back of the couch. 

 

You were at once all nerves again, and you could barely focus on what the guys were shouting about. You had been getting very familiar with Gladio since you'd met him, but this was a first. This wasn't a casual or playful touch, this was his arm around you, his hand dangling very close to your shoulder. 

 

Once the round had concluded, and it was your turn to play, you knew going in that you would not be winning. You were utterly distracted, doing your best to direct your character around the screen while Gladio's thumb brushed gently against your shoulder. 

 

You mashed the 'A' button and tried to bash Prompto off the map, lip between your teeth. The light brush of Gladio's thumb had become a more solid touch, warm against your skin. 

 

And when the match concluded, and Ignis passed Gladio a controller, you were more than a little disappointed that he had to use both hands to play. 

 

\-- 

 

Noctis had already dozed off in the recliner by the time you said you should be getting back. 

 

"We're glad you came," Ignis told you, rising from his spot and beginning to collect dishes. "You're welcome anytime." 

 

"Thanks," you said, and you and Gladio got up as well. "I appreciate it! The burgers were great." 

 

"Whatssit?" Noctis asked, blinking slowly as he sat up a little straighter in the recliner. 

 

"She's leaving," Gladio answered for you. He looked over at you and said, "I'll walk you out." 

 

"Oh. Good to meet you," Noctis mumbled to you, waving a hand and yawning. "See you in Algebra." 

 

"You have to come back!" Prompto told you, getting up from the floor and then immediately flopping over on the now-empty couch. "Seriously! I'll bring  _Mario Kart_! That's one Noctis doesn't always win at." 

 

Noctis shot him a sleepy sneer as you chuckled. You bade them all a last farewell, and then you and Gladio walked out into the night. 

 

"Thanks for inviting me," you told him as you walked. "I haven't had a game night in a long time." 

 

"Well, I'm glad you came," Gladio said, following you down the stairs. "I think they like you." 

 

"Really?" you asked, looking at him over your shoulder. "I hope so." 

 

"They do," he affirmed, tucking his hands into his pockets as you both approached your car. "Trust me." 

 

He wavered by your car as you fished for your keys. You were almost positive that he was about to kiss you. 

 

Instead, he leaned on your vehicle, watching you, standing a tad too close. You located your keys and punched the 'unlock' button. "Thanks for walking me out," you told him, swallowing your nerves. 

 

"Yeah, no problem," he replied, blinking and then pushing off of your car. "Yeah. So... tomorrow." 

 

"Tomorrow?" you asked, eyebrows coming together. 

 

He waited a beat, and then said, "I work tomorrow," as if he was just making the realization. "But, uh, maybe after, we could hang out?" 

 

"Sure," you agreed without thinking. "Yeah, I'd like that. Just... text me." 

 

"Alright," Gladio answered with a smile, thumping his fist lightly against the hood of your car. "Will do. See you tomorrow." 

 

"Goodnight!" you replied, matching his grin. 

 

He stepped back as you got in and closed your door, and you carefully backed out of your parking spot. He watched you go, hands in his pockets until you shot him a final wave. 

 

\-- 

 

 _'I should be off around 6_  

 _We could go eat or something'_  

 

You pondered over the message as you got dressed for bed. Once you were curled up under your covers, you answered with, ' _Sounds like a plan!'_  

 

You wondered what it meant. Was it going to eat as friends, or maybe something more? 

 

You tried not to dwell on it as you both started talking about how game night had gone. After a good hour of texting back and forth, your eyes inevitably grew heavy. 

 

 _'I'm_ _absolutely_ _about to fall asleep, for real this time'_  

 

You dozed off slightly in the time it took him to answer, but your phone's vibrations woke you up enough to check his reply. 

 

 _'Go to sleep babe_  

 _I'll see you tomorrow'_  

 

You stared at the message, a warm feeling spreading throughout your chest. 

 

Maybe tomorrow was a date after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!Babe!!!


	10. Optional Dialogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter incoming :)

After a hectic week of getting up early for class, not waking up to a blaring alarm already made your day awesome. And the morning text Gladio had sent you didn't hurt, either. 

 

The guy was an early riser, even when he didn't have to be. He'd already started teasing you for sleeping in whenever either of you brought it up. You yawned and stretched, glancing around the room and noting that Jess was still nowhere to be found. She hadn't even come in last night. 

 

You answered Gladio (' _Morning!_ ') and then got ready for the day, trying to figure out what you'd do until he got off work at six. There was a little part of you that considered going to see him during his shift, but you shut that down fast.  _Too much too soon, don't be a weirdo._  

 

You had homework to do, but you were too keyed up to pay attention to it. You eventually settled on texting Willow and continuing your playthrough of  _The Walking Dead_. You'd gotten pretty far over the past few weeks, and you could already tell the ending was going to hurt. 

 

Your phone buzzed, and you expected it to be Will. Instead, you found a text from Gladio. 

 

' _Morning? You mean afternoon'_  

 

He was texting you at work? Probably on his lunch break, then. You grinned as you answered him. 

 

 _'Fine, fine, 'good afternoon' lol_  

 _We can't all be early risers, you know'_  

 

You waited a good ten minutes for his reply, which was, ' _You and Noctis, I swear. Early risers are way more productive_ ' to which he'd added a grinning emoji at the end. 

 

You rolled your eyes.  _'I'm plenty productive!'_  

 

This was a bold-faced lie, and you knew it. You looked up at the TV from your beanbag, getting back into your game. You didn't hear from Gladio again, and you hoped it was because the shop had gotten busy. You wanted the little game store to get alright business; many 'mom and pop' shops back home had shut down due to lack of profit. 

 

You wore away the day, taking breaks from your game to eat and do a little homework. But the closer it got to six, the more nerves started to bounce around your stomach. Finally, you got the text you'd been waiting on. 

 

' _Hey, I'm off. What's up?_ ' 

 

You paused the game's cutscene and replied, ' _Hey! I'm just playing TWD. I think I'm almost done with it_ ' 

 

You saved your game as a precaution, wondering if he'd meant the two of you were going to eat right at six, or if he needed time to get ready. His reply took longer than you thought it would. 

 

' _Oh nice. Care if I swing b_ _y? Baylor's on the way to my truck_ _. If not, that's fine too_ ' 

 

"Fuck," you swore out loud, eyes darting around your messy room. 

 

You sat your game controller aside and started tossing things where they belonged like a madwoman.  _Dirty laundry, shove it in the bag, shove that bag under the bed. Straighten up your covers, have you made your bed a single time since August? The desk seems like a lost cause, start putting shit out of sight in its drawers._  

 

In the middle of rushing around, you shot Gladio a text affirming that he could indeed come over. You finished tidying your room, and then did a last-ditch effort to tidy yourself before he arrived. Your phone's vibration was loud against the wood of your desk, and you read the notification without unlocking the screen. 

 

 _'Outside'_  

 

You grabbed your ID and dorm key and headed out into the hall and down the stairs. On the ground floor, through the glass front door, you met eyes with Gladio. A grin immediately spread across his face, and you absolutely melted at the sight of it. 

 

"Hey!" you greeted as you opened the door. 

 

He stepped through, probably glad to be out of the heat. "Hey. Thanks for letting me in. I wish there was parking closer to the shop, but I guess this worked out, huh?" 

 

"Yeah, sure," you agreed, realizing awkwardly that you had no idea what to do with your hands. "How was work?" 

 

"Eh, work's work," he answered casually. "You still want to hang out this evening?" 

 

"Yeah, absolutely," you said. "Uh, are we going now? Because if so, I've got to get my bag and shut the TV off." 

 

"Doesn't matter to me," Gladio said. "We can go whenever. You can finish your game if you want." 

 

"Oh," you replied, turning back towards the stairs. "Uh, well, either way I need my bag, so... come on up, then." 

 

Thank God you'd cleaned. 

 

“Cool. Thanks. So…. How was your day?” Gladio asked as you led him up the stairs. 

 

“Uh…. Lazy,” you admitted, a flush creeping onto your cheeks. “I did do some homework, though.” 

 

You suffered his teasing about you sleeping in, and then opened the door to your room. He walked in behind you, staring around curiously. “Roommate still hasn’t shown up?” 

 

“Not for a while, no,” you told him as you crossed the room. “I don’t really mind, though, to be honest.” 

 

Your fingers had barely brushed against your bag when you heard Gladio say, “Oh, hey, you really are almost done with the game. You could have this finished in fifteen minutes.” 

 

“Am I really that close to the end?” you asked, eyebrows raised as you turned to look at him. 

 

It was weird to see him actually here, in your dorm. He honestly seemed too big for the room, almost out of place. He looked from the TV to you, already smirking. “Yep.” 

 

You stared at the twist of his lips (oh, God). Not only did the expression make your stomach dip pleasantly, but it also meant mischief. It meant the events of this game would not bode well for you. You were totally going to cry. “Well, I mean, I’ll be able to finish it up later.” 

 

“Hey, I already said you could finish it if you wanted to. We got nothing but time for our hangout today,” Gladio said, amber eyes watching you playfully. 

 

“You’d really sit and watch me play a game?” you asked incredulously. “One you already know the ending to?” 

 

“I watch Noct and Prom play games all the time,” Gladio said dismissively, shrugging and taking a seat on your cheap rug. He looked up at you and then rolled his eyes as he added, “And they’ve had that YouTube thing going for a while now, so I guess I’m not the only one that has to suffer.” 

 

“Noctis and Prompto do  _YouTube_?” you asked in disbelief, totally derailed from your concern over Gladio watching you play. 

 

You took a seat on your beanbag next to him, and he rolled his eyes again. “Yeah, sure enough. They started it last year. It’s not like they’re famous or anything.” 

 

“What’s it called?” you asked curiously, starting your game and doing your best to play while your mind was elsewhere. 

 

“They had trouble picking a name,” Gladio informed you. “You could’ve probably guessed that. It ended up being something stupid, like... ‘Swords&Sunshine’.”

 

You snorted, and then asked, “And they… play games?” 

 

“Guess so,” he answered, grinning despite himself. “And do other dumb shit that they think is funny.”  

 

The conversation trailed off as you started making decisions in the last bit of your own video game. And sure enough, a good twenty minutes later, you were watching the final few cutscenes with tears budding in your eyes. 

 

“Aww,” you heard Gladio tease, the noise rumbling in his chest. 

 

“Don’t,” you warned with a sniff, holding a finger out towards him. 

 

You were doing your absolute best to keep it together, but all you wanted to do was burst into tears. Damn. Why did fictional characters and stories just GET TO you? 

 

You couldn’t summon up the courage to look over at Gladio as the credits started to roll, but from the corner of your eye, you were almost positive he was giving you a warm, almost… caring smile. 

 

And then the door opened. The both of you looked around to see Jess walking in, her phone to her ear as she partook in a very loud conversation. Your roommate paused in the doorway, her eyes glancing at you and then…  _lingering_  on Gladio, who gave her a wave by way of greeting. 

 

“I’ll call you back,” Jess stated, noticeably cutting off whoever she had been talking to and ending the call. “Helloooo, Roomie! I’m so sorry I haven’t been around for a while!” 

 

“Oh, that’s fi-“ 

 

“And, oh! Haven’t met you before. I’m Jessica, but you can just call me Jess,” Jess continued, cutting you off and smiling winningly at Gladio. 

 

“Gladio,” he answered good-naturedly, lifting his hand again. “Good to meet you.” 

 

“Gladio? That’s an odd name!” Jess replied, her tone making your blood start to boil. “It’s nice! I’ve always been jealous of unique names. I mean… how many ‘Jessica’s do you know, you know?” she asked, her laugh chiming out like little bells. 

 

“Can’t help what your name is,” Gladio told her with a shrug. 

 

“Hey, Jess, we’ll get out of your hair. Looks like you’ve got quite a bag to unpack,” you said, turning off your PS3 and noticeably surveying the large duffle bag Jess had plopped down on her bed. 

 

“Oh, don’t leave on my account!” Jess interjected quickly as both you and Gladio got to your feet. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything!” 

 

Her tone told you that she doubted she’d interrupted anything at all. You took a small hit to your self esteem, but met her gaze levelly. “Nah, we were about to head out anyway.” 

 

“Nice to meet ya’,” Gladio supplied helpfully as you grabbed your bag. 

 

“Come back anytime!” Jess called after the two of you. 

 

“I will,” you said back in the same sing-song tone. “I live here!” 

 

Gladio snickered at your comment as you shut the dorm door behind you. 

 

You both waited until you’d reached the first floor before saying anything. Gladio shot you a glance and said, “So… nice roommate.” 

 

“She’s no Ignis,” you told him jokingly. 

 

And you left it at that. Gladio seemed to pick up on the fact that you wanted to put the last few minutes behind you, and changed the subject. “Hey, I’ll drive us, if that’s alright.” 

 

“Sure,” you agreed, glad for the new topic. He held the front door of the dorm open for you, and your stomach did another nervous flip. “Where did you want to eat, anyway?” 

 

“I dunno’,” he said jovially, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked. “Craving anything specific?” 

 

You frowned as you mentally perused through the food options in town. “I… I don’t know. I’m up for anything.” 

 

Gladio thought for a moment, and then checked the time on his phone. “Well, this might sound crazy, but I’ve got a friend that’s a carhop at Sonic, and he’d totally add some free tots and fries to our order.” 

 

Of all the things you’d been expecting, you had to admit, you didn’t see that one coming. You burst out laughing, and turned to him with a grin. “I’m definitely not one to turn down free fries.” 

 

— 

 

Gladio’s friend from class followed through on the free tots and fries, much to your amusement.  _Less_  to your amusement was the suggestive eyebrow wiggle he gave Gladio after a glance at you. 

 

You pretended not to notice as Gladio rolled the window up on him, which prompted the guy to say loudly, “Hey, man, not all of that was free!” 

 

“Oh, here, I have some cash,” you said quickly, going for your wallet, but Gladio shot you a look and snorted. 

 

“Uh, no,” he told you incredulously, rolling down the window and slapping a bill into his friend’s outstretched hand. “Nice try.” 

 

“I can –” you started to object, but Gladio purposefully ignored you. 

 

You opened the center console of his truck and tucked your half of the bill inside when you thought he wasn’t looking. 

 

“Okay, second half of the hangout,” Gladio told you, putting his truck in reverse and snagging a few fries as he backed out. “Can we not eat in the truck?” 

 

“Okay,” you said, amused and curious. “It’s going to get dark soon, though.” 

 

“Ah, we aren’t going far,” Gladio assured you, pulling into the lot next to the Sonic.  

 

The store in front of you had closed, and the lot itself was practically devoid of other vehicles. Gladio parked in one of the many empty spaces, and then grabbed the food bag as he opened his door. 

 

“Wow, we really  _didn’t_ go far,” you commented, following suit. 

 

"I, uh, I dunno, we could go somewhere else if you'd rather," Gladio told you as he lowered the truck's tailgate. 

 

"Nope, this is fine," you said hurriedly, hopping up beside him in the truck bed. 

 

You both started eating, happily chatting as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. Eventually, the topic got around to hometowns and families. 

 

"It's my dad's shop, you know," Gladio told you, shrugging. "Not like it was his dream or anything, to own a game store, but sometimes you just go with what life gives you, you know?" 

 

"So, he just runs the shop?" you asked curiously. "Even though it's not really what he wants to do?" 

 

"I mean, he does the business part of it. But he spends all his time teaching martial arts downtown. Owns that building, too, actually," Gladio said with a shrug. "He had Iris and me training since we could walk." 

 

"Huh. He sounds pretty intense," you commented offhandedly. "And your mom?" 

 

Gladio fell silent for a moment. "Not in the picture." 

 

The silence stretched on, nerves spiking in your stomach again. You couldn't make yourself look over at him. The sounds from the Sonic nearby suddenly seemed very loud. Eventually, you quietly said, "Sorry, I wasn't trying to –" 

 

"No, I know," Gladio said, quickly cutting you off. "It’s all good. So, what about you, huh? What's family like?" 

 

"Just me and my mom," you answered. "Superwoman-single-mom style, ever since I was born. I'm actually heading home next weekend to see her." 

 

He asked where 'home' was, and when you told him, he said, "I always thought about going off somewhere for college. Spent my whole life in this damn town. But couldn't deny the perks of staying." 

 

He balled up his trash and tucked it back into the bag. It was really getting dark now, the lights from the Sonic the brightest thing illuminating the both of you. You watched him for a moment before you asked, "What kind of perks?" 

 

"Well," Gladio told you, shifting to sit more comfortably in the truck bed, "jobs working for family, Iris is here, I get to see my buddies all the time... I suppose knowing the president is a plus, too." 

 

"Whoa, what?" you said, eyebrows raised. "The  _president_?!" 

 

"Of the college," Gladio corrected with a smirk. "Regis." 

 

"Yeah, Regis," you agreed. "How the hell do you know Regis?" 

 

"He's Noctis' dad," Gladio explained, shrugging as if this was nothing new. "Our families are close. I've known him pretty much my whole life." 

 

You waited a beat, your mind letting the information settle in. "I've known you since August, and you're just now telling me Noctis is our college president's son?" you asked, knocking your foot playfully into Gladio's. "What the hell?! Why is he living in a dorm, then?" 

 

Gladio laughed, grinning over at you and clearly pleased by your reaction. "He wanted to get the 'full college experience'. But still, he spends half his time at our place, it's not like he's actually  _living_  in the dorm." 

 

"Jeez," you complained, shaking your head at him. "Well, I guess you learn something new every day." 

 

That prompted another laugh out of him, which your heart took note of by skipping a beat. The stars were starting to slowly appear in the sky, and you leaned back in the truck bed to stare up at them. Gladio followed suit, his shoulder almost touching yours. The both of your legs dangled over the edge of the tailgate, and you idly swung your feet. 

 

"So, can I ask you something?" you spoke up after a moment. 

 

"Yeah," Gladio replied, his deep voice distracting you for a second. 

 

"Uh, what's the real reason we're sitting in a parking lot right next to the Sonic?" 

 

And he laughed again, a little sheepishly this time. He self-consciously rubbed the back of his head without making eye contact with you. "Eh, well, I didn't want you to think I was.... I mean, there's plenty of people around here, so.... Didn't want you to assume that I... uh...." 

 

 _What?_ you wanted to ask him, the nerves in your stomach practically tripling.  _Didn't want me to assume that this was_ _a date? Or... didn't want me to think that you were being presumptuous?_  

 

Instead, you saved him from his stuttering. "You're fine, Gladio. Really. I'm glad we came." 

 

He relaxed instantly, glancing over to give you a little smile. "Me too." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This next chapter.... I'm so ready!


	11. Controller Disconnected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Here's a Halloween chapter for you!  
> I don't make the rules.
> 
> TW: Underage drinking (depending on when your legal age limit is, where I'm from it's 21, and Reader is only 19)  
> I don't condone underage drinking, peeps. Be responsible!
> 
> Also, we're adding in another FFXV character that has been SUPER aged down. lol  
> Be prepared!

October kept you more than busy.

 

You had a good visit home, your mom asking you countless questions about school, your friends, and if you’d been eating right (you may have fibbed a bit on that last one). Home and college felt like two totally different worlds, and you were still getting used to reconciling the two.

 

The weeks had flown by, filled with schoolwork, hangouts with Willow, and study sessions with Gladio (that had the two of you sitting even closer together than before). Gladio had told you there was another Friday game night coming up soon, but it continually got pushed back due to school and the differing schedules of his friends.

 

You did your best to not be disappointed.

 

The end of the month caught you by surprise. Willow had told you she’d be out of town for Halloween this weekend, and you’d been floored that the holiday had crept up on you. You had no plans and no costume, so you settled in on Halloween evening and prepared to watch scary movies alone in the dorm.

 

Your phone buzzed while you were searching for some B-grade horror film on Netflix. Willow had texted to ask what you'd been up to, and you had informed her of your evening plans. She was less than impressed.

 

‘ _If you aren’t doing anything, just ask Gladio if he wants to hang out! If I had known you’d be sitting in your dorm, I would've invited you home with me!’_

 

You grimaced at your phone. Willow was very pro-Gladio, although she still hadn’t officially met him. And you _had_ thought about texting him to see if he was doing anything… but you wanted to play it cool and not be too pushy. If he wanted to hang out, he’d let you know.

 

Gladio’s texting had been spotty today. He’d been studying for an online test that was due before midnight tonight. (‘ _Happy Halloween, nothing scarier than a test_ ’, you’d joked).

 

 _‘Nah, I’ll be good here,’_ you typed to Will. _‘Maybe once he’s done with his test we could get together or something._

_Have fun tonight! Eat a shit ton of candy for me!’_

 

You'd been woefully unprepared and had not bought any sweet treats ahead of time, and no way were you spending a ridiculous amount of money to buy candy _on_ Halloween. After-holiday candy tasted the same and went for a much lower price.

 

You settled on a movie, but had yet to press play when you heard keys jingle at the door. You looked over from where you sat in your beanbag chair, shock written plainly across your face. Jess was _here_? On _Halloween_? You would've bet everything you owned that you wouldn't see her today.

 

Your roommate walked into the room, tossing her bag and purse to the side as she closed the door behind her. "Oh, good, you're here," she stated, not sounding at all surprised. "Any plans tonight?"

 

You looked up at the TV, down at your sweatpants, and then back to her. "Uh, I guess? Why?"

 

"Well, it's Halloween," Jess told you, crossing to her side of the room and opening her small wardrobe. "My friends from class are going to a party tonight, and I thought I'd invite you."

 

"Invite _me_?" you asked, unable to keep the incredulousness from your tone.

 

Jess pulled some sort of costume from a hanger and proceeded to undress right in front of you. "Yeah! I mean, I figured, we've been living together for, like, two months now, and I barely know you. Well, I know I'm usually gone, but Steven always asks me to stay over. Er, _asked_. We broke up again."

 

"Oh," you said blankly, eyebrows furrowed. "Ah, Jess, don't worry about it. You do you. I mean, if you want to stay somewhere else besides here, it's fine. Don't feel like you have to invite me out. Really. Don't."

 

"No, really," Jess pushed, finally dressed in her Halloween costume (sexy witch, of course). "Have you been to a college party yet?"

 

"Er, no," you admitted. "I'm... not really a party person."

 

"Don't knock 'em 'till you try 'em!" Jess chimed, giving you a grin.

 

"Jess...." you trailed off, trying to figure out her angle. What would she get out of _you_ going to a party? "I'm good here for now. I may go out and meet some friends later."

 

"Where at?" Jess asked doubtfully, staring into the mirror as she adjusted her witch hat.

 

"Uh, Hightower," you replied.

 

You doubted you'd actually see Gladio tonight, but hey, you could hope.

 

Jess whirled around, her mouth popping open almost comically. " _That's where the party is_! See, it was meant to be. You can come with me, and then if you hate it, just tell your friends you're coming over early!"

 

The party was at Hightower Apartments? The butterflies were starting up in your stomach again. You frowned at Jess, pursing your lips. "Seriously, why do you want me to go so badly? What's the deal here?"

 

Jess let out a huff of air and then gave you a chagrined smile. "Alright, alright. So, here’s the thing. Steven is totally going to be at this party, and to show that I’m obviously _not_ a clingy bitch… I told my friends I wasn’t going. But I mean. Come on.” She gestured grandiosely at her Halloween costume. “I absolutely have to go. So I thought… you know… if you came with me, I could just… tell everyone you wanted to go, and that you insisted I go with you!”

 

She beamed hopefully at you, hands clasped in front of her chest. You stared at her pleading eyes, slowly shaking your head. “I don’t know, Jess.”

 

“Come on, I’ll owe you! And hey, maybe your friends will be at the party anyway, if they live over there!”

 

You frowned at her, but… some part of you was tempted. Gladio had talked about a few parties he’d been to…. Maybe you could give the scene a try.

 

Jess could tell you were giving in. Her smile widened, and she held her hands out as a sort of final plea. You groaned and put a hand to your head. "I don't know....” you said, echoing your earlier statement. “I totally don't have a costume."

 

"Oop, hang on, hang on!" Jess exclaimed excitedly, turning to her large jewelry box and digging around for a second. She produced a sparkly tiara that you'd seen sold for cheap in stores at the mall. "I wore this for my sweet sixteen. Just dress up and put this on, and if anyone asks, you're a princess."

 

"Oh, God, no way," you muttered, biting your lip. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

 

—

 

"I'm a princess," you said flatly to the first person that inevitably asked you what you were dressed as.

 

"A princess in jeans?" the guy questioned, scrutinizing the tiara on your head. "I mean, I guess."

 

 _Because your high school football jersey totally counts as a costume,_ you thought snidely to yourself.

 

You ignored him and continued sulking by the wall. Jess had, of course, abandoned you immediately upon entering the party. You could see her chatting with a guy, surrounded by her friends with a drink in her hand.

 

You pulled your phone from your pocket and sent a quick text to Gladio.... Just because.

 

' _So, I guess I'm at a party in your apartment complex. My roommate asked me to go. It's... not great lol'_

 

Ah, who were you kidding? This was no 'just because' text. You would kill for him to stop by and save you from this train wreck of a night. The music was just short of deafening, and there were way too many people crammed into the apartment. Many of them were already drunk off their asses. One of the hosts had pooled the guests' money for drinks, and obviously no one was checking IDs.

 

You didn’t know why you expected anything different.

 

"Hello, princess," a smooth voice stated from your side.

 

You tried to bite back your groan of exasperation, but you doubted the guy could hear it over the music anyway. You expected to look up and see another douchey frat boy, but the guy's appearance took you by surprise. He looked older, a senior at least, with hazel eyes and shaggy hair that was dyed an interesting shade of reddish-violet.

 

"It's my roommate's," you said immediately, tucking your phone back into your pocket and pointing at the tiara perched on your head. "I didn't have a costume."

 

"Well, I suppose it works in a pinch," the guy answered with a sly grin.

 

You looked him over, trying to guess what he was dressed as. Black fedora, red scarf, long coat.... Had this guy even dressed up? "Where's your costume, then?" you asked.

 

"You don't have to dress up when you host the party," he told you, winking as he leaned on the wall next to you. "It's Ardyn, by the way."

 

You gave him your name, which made him smile again. There was a span of awkward silence, where you began to realize he wasn't going to just saunter off. Damn it. "Nice party," you lied.

 

"I doubt you believe that," he stated, glancing over at you. "These things aren't any fun for the sober."

 

"Well, give me a year and a half, and I'll be right there with you," you said sarcastically, tugging on one of your jacket sleeves.

 

“Freshman?” he guessed.

 

“Yep,” you said. “And you’re a… senior?”

 

“Graduate, actually,” he answered smoothly. “Political Science, minored in Communication. I’m here for grad school now.”

 

You nodded awkwardly at him while a particularly loud part of a song beat its way through your head. Once the chorus was over, Ardyn leaned towards you and asked, "Can I get you a drink?"

 

"Oh." You were no stranger to drinking, and you probably wouldn't mind partaking, but no way were you letting some random guy get anything for you. That was how bad things got slipped into drinks. "No, I'm alright. I'll probably get something later."

 

"I'll hold you to that, princess," he said, winking again.

 

And he did.

 

About ten minutes later, you and Ardyn dipped into the kitchen to grab a drink. You assumed Jess had put money in for the party, and she'd dragged you along, so what the fuck. You might as well get something out of being here.

 

You hadn't had alcohol in a long time – not since the party after your high school graduation – and it showed. The bottom of your cup had you buzzed, and the bottom of the second made your world start spinning.

 

The party did seem more fun under the influence, you had to admit. Liquid courage got you talking with some of Jess's friends, where you dutifully kept up your part of the lie ("Hell yeah, I've been wanting to go to this all week!). A few of them knew Ardyn. _Jess_ knew Ardyn.

 

Personable. That's how you would describe him. Each word was well thought out, sentences flowing easily, charmingly. No one else seemed to feel uneasy around him, although you couldn't shake the sensation. Maybe it was his tone. Maybe it was that he wouldn't stop calling you 'princess'.

 

You lost track of how many drinks you had. Who counts drinks at a party anyway?

 

"Come on, now, princess. Another won't hurt."

 

That's what he told you, taking your hand and leading you back towards the kitchen.

 

"I really shouldn't," you answered. "My head's already...." But you couldn't think of a word, the right word to describe your buzz. You knew you sounded stupid. Anyone sounded stupid next to Ardyn.

 

But alcohol always seemed to call for more alcohol. You refilled your cup.

 

"You don't drink, do you?" you blurted out.

 

Your voice surprised you. Were you _drunk_? And why was this guy still hanging around you, anyway? He had yet to blend back into the party. His party. You wished he would.

 

"It's much more interesting to observe," Ardyn answered you, hazel eyes flitting from one guest to another. "People love excuses to lose themselves, to become something they are not. Or perhaps it simply reveals who they really are. Either way, it's highly entertaining."

 

He turned towards you, one of his eyebrows arching upwards. “Wallflowers are my favorite, you see. Feigning shy, hiding away. But what are you truly, when you become more comfortable in your own skin?”

 

“’m not a _wallflower_ ,” you scoffed, turning away from him. Your words were slurring, and you were sure you sounded like an utter idiot. “Just socially awkward.”

 

He laughed, as if you were a child that had said something mildly amusing. “Whatever you say, darling.”

 

Your skin started to crawl. You didn’t like his tone, the music from the living room was too loud. Your stomach started to twist uncomfortably.

 

“’m gonna’… go. Thanks for the party. Was great.” Your fingers fumbled on the strap of your bag, making sure that it was there, and you headed out of the kitchen.

 

You searched for Jess – she’d said one of her friends was the designated driver. Your roommate was in the far corner of the room, and you’d started to call out to her until you noticed she was sucking face with Steven Who-Gives-A-Shit. Her ploy had worked. Good for her.

 

Maybe you just needed some air. You made your way through the crowd towards the door, everything swaying. Fuck, your uncounted drinks were catching up to you with a vengeance. How long had you been here, anyway?

 

You stumbled outside into the cool October air. It was a dark night, heavy clouds obscuring the moon. It was _still_ humid as balls – Summer wasn’t giving up its hold just yet. It made you want to hurl.

 

Your thoughts felt scattered, and you were beginning to wonder if you could walk back to the college (Why the hell had you decided to leave the dorm room?!). A hand closed around your forearm.

 

“Leaving so soon, princess? I highly doubt it would be prudent for you to be on the streets in such a state.”

 

You knew that smooth voice by now. It had followed you around this whole fucking party. “Leggo of me!” you ordered loudly, jerking your arm back.

 

He was strong. A lot stronger than you’d anticipated. His grip remained firm around your arm. “Darling, be reasonable. Just come back inside.”

 

The world was moving beneath your feet, even though you were standing still. Ardyn tugged lightly on your arm, and you stumbled back towards the apartment.

 

And then you heard your name called. His voice was instant relief, the needles of anxiety vanishing from your stomach.

 

“Hey, what the hell’s going on here?” Gladio asked, gruff tone implying that he meant business.

 

“Gladio,” you managed to get out.

 

And then everything began to blur.

 

—

 

Rough voices, the world spinning, where did the ground go?, a door closing, blessed silence.

 

And then an engine.

 

—

 

“– ID card? Keys?”

 

“I… I rode with Jess. Na’, wait, one of Jess’s friends… yep.”

 

—

 

“– not answering? Shit.”

 

“I’m sorry,” you said, staring at your phone screen. You ended the call before the automated voice asked you to leave a message. “She was… Steven was there…. So, dunno’ what she’s doing. Probably him. Haha.”

 

Gladio snorted.

 

—

 

A door slamming, steady shoulders, stairs.

 

—

 

Warm.

 

Safe.

 

—

 

Sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Gladio POV for the next chapter?  
> Alright, I'm down!


	12. Saving Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eight pages of Gladio, I HOPE YOU ARE ALL HAPPY

Gladio closed his laptop and rubbed a hand across his face. An eighty-four wasn't bad. He could afford to make 'B's on a few tests. Still, last-minute studying had not been nearly as effective as he needed it to be.

 

He leaned over in his chair and retrieved his phone from its place on the rumpled covers of his bed. It had lain there all day, as a silent reminder of the social life he was currently missing out on. Gladio turned the ringer back on and thumbed through his texts and notifications.

 

Noctis and Prompto had spam-texted the group chat (not out of the ordinary), asking when the four were going to get together for Halloween. Ignis had finally informed them that ' _Gladio is taking an exam and I'm working late. Just go to Noct's. I'm sure Regis will be pleased to see the two of you. We will celebrate tomorrow.'_ He finished by stating he was putting the group chat on mute until further notice.

 

Gladio snorted, amused despite himself. He made it through the newer notifications and finally read your texts, the latest being, ' _So, I guess I'm at a party in your apartment complex. My roommate asked me to go. It's... not great lol_ '

 

He raised an eyebrow, reading the message again. A party? The text had been sent a while ago.... Were you still there?

 

' _Oh yeah? Where at? You still there, or did you already leave?_ '

 

Gladio passed the time replying to Noctis and Prompto, and eventually it sunk in that you weren't answering him. Maybe you were busy. Hopefully you weren't ignoring him. Either way, he didn't really want to sit on his ass alone on Halloween night, so he got ready to go out. Maybe he'd go harass Specs at the diner.

 

That's what he told himself.

 

Gladio started up his truck and backed out of his parking space. There were no parties going on at his side of the complex, so he figured you were (or had been) over towards the apartments at the entrance. That was usually where the noise complaints came from, anyway. The apartments in question were on his way out, so he figured driving by wouldn't hurt, just to see what kind of party your roommate had convinced you to go to. Was it one of those loud ones, with all the fancy, flashing lights? Or one where only five people showed up, and the awkwardness was practically tangible. He'd been to both before.

 

A block away, and he knew exactly what kind of party it was. Gladio had seen the first-floor apartment all lit up on several occasions, so the sight was no surprise. What was odd, though, was that he thought he could see _you_ walking around outside.

 

Gladio parked his truck (illegally – every space in front of the building was full), brow furrowed as he killed the engine and got out. He started walking down the sidewalk towards the apartment, eyes following the movement in front of him. Yeah, that was you. And... there was a guy with you, his hand locked around your arm.

 

"Leggo of me!"

 

Gladio felt his heart jump, and a hit of adrenaline made his steps a little faster. His eyes flew from the man's hand around your arm to the guy's face. The stranger spoke to you in a soothing, oily manner. "Darling, be reasonable. Just come back inside."

 

He was still a little too far away, but Gladio called out your name without hesitation. Both you and the stranger looked up at him, and the expression on the guy's face prompted Gladio to ask, "Hey, what the hell's going on here?"

 

There was more heat in the question that he'd intended there to be, but something about the situation was more than rubbing Gladio the wrong way. The fuck was this guy?

 

"Gladio," you said, and there was such relief in your voice that it made him even more positive that something was wrong.

 

"We were just going back inside," the stranger stated smoothly, tugging on your arm again. "She just needed a bit of fresh air."

 

"No way," you insisted, struggling to get out of his grasp. "Not goin' back in there."

 

"Let her go," Gladio ordered coldly, anger swelling in his chest. "She's not going anywhere with you. We're leaving."

 

"You'll have to, ah, forgive me for declining," the guy replied, tugging you up closer to him. "You see, I've known her for quite some time now – we're old friends – and she's rather intoxicated at the moment. I can't say it would be _responsible_ for me to allow a stranger to whisk her off on her own. Who's to say what could happen?"

 

"What could –" Gladio started to repeat, too furious to finish the sentence. What was this fucker implying?! And he was too close, way too close to you....

 

"I don't know _you_ ," you said at once, doing your best to stomp on your captor's foot.

 

"She's quite clearly saying she doesn’t know you," the guy holding you said pompously.

 

"I know _him_! That's Gladio!" you countered in a slur, but neither of them were paying attention to you anymore.

 

Gladio walked closer to the two of you, and he seemed like even more of a hulking figure in the dimly lit street. "Listen, jackass," he growled out. " _I_ know her. We're friends. And I'm not asking – I'm telling. Step off. Right now." When the guy made no move to release you, he continued with a menacing glare, "Last chance. Back up, or things get messy."

 

It was painfully, _painfully_ obvious as to who would win a fight in this scenario. Slowly, finger by finger, the stranger let go of your arm. There was a little chagrined smirk on his face as he held up his hands and stepped a few paces backward. "Alright, alright. There's no need for a scuffle."

 

Gladio ignored him, quickly moving to help you to your feet; you'd fallen over as soon as you'd been released. The guy had said at least one truthful thing tonight – you were definitely drunk.

 

You leaned on Gladio, arms wrapping around his waist as you pressed your face into his chest. "Everything's spinning," you told him sadly, your voice muffled by his shirt.

 

He felt his face heat up, the feeling of your fingers tightening in the fabric at his waist distracting him from his immediate anger. He looked away from you to glare at the stranger again, only to find the guy had disappeared back into the apartment.

 

"Hang on, I gotcha," Gladio said gruffly, clearing his throat and helping you walk towards his truck. "Let's just get off the sidewalk, alright?"

 

"Yep," you said back, popping the 'p' in the word.

 

He opened his truck door and did his best to assist as you clambered in. _God,_ oh God, what the hell was he supposed to do in a situation like this? His hands still shook with anger, the image of the stranger tugging on your arm dancing through his thoughts. What an asshole.

 

Gladio got into his truck, starting the engine and idling in the street. Your head was leaned against the passenger window, your eyes half-closed. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, his tone soft.

 

"Am now," you muttered, groaning and looking over at him. "Thanks. He was following me around, not leaving alone – not leaving _me_ alone, yanno?"

 

"Had a lot to drink tonight, huh?" Gladio asked, fingers drumming on the steering wheel. The more he talked to you, with you safe in his passenger seat, the more his anger ebbed. He put his truck in gear and started heading towards the college.

 

"Not really," you told him, frowning. "Well, maybe," you amended sheepishly. "Who counts drinks at a party, you know? Fucking party. Might as well drink, get something out of being there."

 

He glanced over, scanning the deep, bitter frown that twisted your lips. "You... uh... said your roommate made you go, right?"

 

"Jess," you growled, your frown deepening. "She just was there.... She just wanted to go to.... Steven Who-Gives-A-Shit was there," you finished hotly, crossing your arms.

 

"Yeah, okay, Steven 'Who-Gives-A-Shit'. Makes sense," Gladio said, feigning understanding as he nodded with a hint of a smile on his face. "Well, hey, I'll take you back to the dorm, alright? You got your ID card? Keys?"

 

Your forehead scrunched up as you turned to look at him. "I... I rode with Jess. Na', wait, one of Jess's friends... yep."

 

"Oh," Gladio replied, "So, is that a 'no' to the ID and keys?"

 

"Yes," you said. "Wait, no. Yes, it's a no. No, I don't have my ID or keys. Left m' with my wallet. Didn't want it to get stolen." At the thought, you frantically felt for your bag strap, and upon ensuring that it was still there, you audibly sighed in relief. Then your hands went to your head. "Oh, shit."

 

"What is it?" Gladio asked quickly.

 

"I lost Jess's fucking tiara. I was s'pose to be a princess." You snickered. "Oh the fuck well. Fuck that. I'm not a princess, anyway. What kinda princess says 'fuck'?"

 

"Alright," Gladio said, grinning at your drunken enthusiasm. He flipped his blinker on. "Well, we're getting close to the college. Could you... call your roommate and tell her to let you in, maybe?"

 

"She was still at the party," you replied, sighing. "Lemme call her, though. She owes me," you added, as if you were informing Gladio of a grand secret.

 

Even from the driver's seat, Gladio could hear the call go straight to voicemail. "She's not answering? Shit."

 

"I'm sorry," you told him, clumsily pressing the button to hang up the phone. "She was... Steven was there.... So, dunno' what she's doing. Probably him. Haha."

 

Gladio snorted. "Steven Who-Gives-A-Shit," he muttered under his breath.

 

"Hey, you texted me," you slurred, grinning at your glowing phone screen. "I was hoping you would. What 'bout your test, huh?"

 

"My test?" Gladio asked, half keyed into the conversation and half trying to figure out where to drive to.

 

"Yeah, what'd ya' get? Grade," you specified, failing to cover a yawn.

 

"Oh," Gladio said. "Uh, I scraped a 'B'."

 

"Baced it!" you cheered happily, dissolving into laughter. But after a moment, the smile suddenly dropped off your face. "Oh, shit, sorry. That was loud. I'm so sorry."

 

"Hey, you're fine," Gladio assured you, already missing your smile. "Really."

 

But you still looked worried, your fingers fiddling with your seatbelt strap. "No... I know 'm annoying when I drink. Jeez, and you're driving me around, oh God, no, I'm so sorry."

 

Gladio said your name, and then reached out to pull your hand away from the seatbelt strap. "You aren't annoying me, alright? You're fine. I promise."

 

"…. Thank you," you said quietly.

 

Your fingers relaxed in his, and he found himself hesitating to pull away. Your hand was soft, small compared to his own. He'd thought about holding your hand only a thousand times for the past two months....

 

He cleared his throat, returned his hand to the steering wheel, and focused on the road. "So.... You, uh, know a way to get into the dorm?"

 

"Oh, God, uhhhh," you mumbled. "Fuck you, Jess. I... uh... I'll figure it out. Yeah, just drop me off, 'kay?"

 

"Hah. No way," Gladio said, shaking his head. "I already sent one creep packing tonight. I'm not just leaving you drunk on the sidewalk."

 

"I'm not _drunk_ ," you insisted with a frown. When Gladio shot you a look, you added, " _Maybe_ tipsy."

 

"Yeah, okay."

 

"I dunno what to do," you admitted sullenly. "Shouldn't've left my fucking ID card. I'll call the RA, lemme look it up on the website."

 

"You have to pay a fine for that," Gladio said, eyebrows knitting together as he turned his blinker on again. "Plus, it's late."

 

And it was late, which is why he figured the next thought crept into his head. It was something perhaps a little bold, maybe a little risky, and probably a lot stupid. "Hey, uh.... Just... uh... stay at my place. I'll camp out on the couch. It'll be no big deal. And you won't have to piss your RA off and pay a fine or whatever."

 

He couldn't look over at you in the following silence. _Oh, God, just say something._ He was the biggest idiot, that was for sure. Why had he even offered that? It definitely seemed like he was after something less than noble, and now you'd –

 

"Ya' mean that?" you asked suddenly, sounding a little stunned. "Really?"

 

"Yeah," Gladio answered, once more feeling his face heat up. "Swear to God, I'm not.... Look, I'll be on the couch, alright?"

 

"No way," you mumbled, leaning your head over on the passenger window again. "I call couch. Your house, you get bed."

 

He couldn't help but feel relieved that you didn't seem to think he was being... crafty, to put it nicely. "Pfft. Yeah, okay. We'll see about that."

 

The cab fell silent as you slowly dozed off against the window. Gladio snuck a few glances your way (to make sure you were alright, obviously. They had nothing to do with how the streetlights played across your face, illuminating your flushed cheeks, the bridge of your nose, the curve of your lips.... He was focused on the road, after all.).

 

He had just pulled back into the apartment complex when you murmured his name. He looked over to find your eyes half-open, watching him dreamily.

 

"Yeah?" he asked, quickly busying himself with searching for a parking spot.

 

"Damn," you said.

 

"Damn?" Gladio questioned with a chuckle. "Damn what?"

 

"Just, you," you said unhelpfully. Seeing his confusion, you finally clarified. "I mean, just lookit you. You're just... damn. You got the... rugged handsome, yanno? And the muscles. Tattoo. 'S a bird. God, you're hot."

 

"It, ah," Gladio started, and then cleared his throat as he put the truck in park, "it is a bird, yeah. Now, c'mon, let's get you inside. You're just spouting nonsense now."

 

Damn, if he didn't feel like a million bucks.

 

You had your door open and were in the process of stepping out of the truck by the time he got around to your side of the vehicle. Gladio hurriedly moved to steady you, not wanting to see you topple over onto the sidewalk. You could've probably walked on your own, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

And yeah, maybe he liked the way you clung to him when he put his arm around your shoulder.

 

But still, the stairs almost proved to be a problem; he thought he was going to have to pick you up. But you made it with his support, grinning and laughing, trying to explain to him exactly how the stairs were moving, and it was making him laugh a little, too.

 

Ignis was on his laptop in the living room, and he looked up curiously as the two of you walked in. His blue eyes were immediately full of a thousand questions as Gladio carefully led you over to his room.

 

"Heeeey, Ignis!" you slurred, yawning yet again. "Sorry, left my keys card and ID – keys and ID card." You snorted at your mistake as Gladio opened the door to his room. "I'ma sleep on the couch."

 

"I'll be right out," Gladio told his roommate. "Just getting her situated."

 

"Alright," Specs replied, adjusting his glasses and arcing an eyebrow.

 

Gladio was abruptly hit with the realization that you were going to see the complete wreck that was his room. He didn't turn the light on, knowing you'd be passed out soon anyway, and left the door open behind him. "C'mon, lay down, alright? Specs and I will be out there if you need anything. Like some water. Yeah, I'll get you some water, okay?"

 

"I'm supposed to get couch," you told him stubbornly. "I don't want to steal your bed. 'M already being an inconvenience."

 

You said the last word slowly, as if you were being sure you were pronouncing it correctly. Gladio rolled his eyes. "You're not an inconvenience, alright? Jeez. Get in bed while I get the water."

 

And he promptly turned on his heel and left the room. By the time he'd returned with a glass of water, he was pleased to see you'd actually listened to him. Or maybe you'd just gotten too tired to stand up. He wasn't sure, but either way, your shoes were off and you were laying down, snuggled up under the covers.

 

It was fucking adorable.

 

"Water on the nightstand," Gladio said quietly. He turned to go, thought for a moment, and then moved his trash can from beside his desk to the side of the bed. "Can's by the bed, if you have to hurl. Don't sleep on your back."

 

"M'k," you whispered, clearly already falling asleep. "Thanks. G'night, Gladio."

 

"G'night babe," he murmured.

 

Gladio left the room and softly closed the door. He then promptly ignored Ignis as he walked over and took a seat in the gray recliner.

 

After a long while, Gladio broke the silence. "Throw me that blanket, will you?" Ignis complied, tossing Gladio the throw that had been draped over the back of the couch. "Thanks."

 

"Of course," Ignis answered. He glanced over at his roommate, who met his gaze and sighed.

 

"It's a... long story," Gladio finally grumbled.

 

"I'm all ears," Iggy replied.


	13. Achievement Unlocked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys... 100 people are subscribed to this fic.... That is UNREAL. It's my most subscribed-to fic, and I couldn't believe it when I saw the number lol  
> Thank you <3  
> And happy February! (I unfortunately couldn't get this done in time for Valentine's Day.)

Everything smelled like Gladio; like when you would lean over close to him in the library, or when he'd give you a casual side-hug after a hangout. That was your first thought when you opened your eyes. 

 

It was the thunder that woke you, a soft, low rumble that was just a little too loud to go unnoticed. Rain pattered lightly against the window as you slowly sat up, and for a good two seconds, you had no idea where you were. 

 

You went through your night, sifting through the memories until logical reasoning told you your drunk ass had landed you in Gladiolus' apartment. And in his bed, no less. Embarrassment flushed your face as you searched for your phone among the covers – it had fallen out of your pocket during your sleep. 

 

Once located, your dying cellular informed you that it was almost eleven. 

 

You groaned quietly and put your head in your hands. The gray light peeking around the curtains did nothing to help the dull, pounding ache behind your eyes. You let out a heavy sigh, rubbed your face, and before you could start berating yourself about how stupid you were, you glanced around the room. 

 

It was lived in. Gladio's desk resembled yours, with his laptop and various papers, folders, and textbooks scattered across its top – however, at the back of the desk stood a row of perfectly organized novels, held up with a bookend on one side and a potted cactus on the other. There was a wooden shelf next to the door, housing even more books, and atop it sat a framed photo of Gladio and his sister.

 

You could see clothes on the floor (that Gladio had unsuccessfully tried to kick under the bed), and his open closet door gave you the perfect view of an overflowing laundry basket, full of what looked like folded clothes waiting to be put away. Against the far wall was an old, black gym bag, with a pair of muddy boots resting beside it. 

 

You heard something clang in the next room, and you immediately rebelled at the thought of getting out of bed and facing Gladio or Ignis. No way would you be able to look either of them in the eye. And, oh God, what if Noctis and Prompto were here? You couldn't even begin to imagine the looks you'd get. Honestly, if the earth decided to open up and swallow you whole, you'd be grateful. 

 

But sitting alone in Gladio's room was too weird. 

 

Thunder rolled through the air again, and you ran a hand through your hair as you forced yourself to get up. You felt gross. Your mouth was dry, you didn't have a toothbrush or a change of clothes, and you had no doubt that you looked like a hot mess. Not even a hot mess. Just a mess. 

 

You found your bag haphazardly thrown on top of your shoes, and it was then you remembered that you still didn't have your keys or college ID card. You were either going to have to walk back to the school in the rain, or someone was going to have to give you a lift. Neither choice was ideal. 

 

You did your best to beat down your nerves as you slowly cracked open the door. 

 

The living room was thankfully empty, but you could hear someone bustling around in the kitchen. The enticing smell of bacon and eggs drew you forward, although your stomach was still unsettled from your night of drinking. You needed water more than anything. 

 

You forced yourself into motion (making your footsteps louder than normal on purpose) and when you were able to see into the kitchen, you found Gladio looking over his shoulder with a spatula in his hand. 

 

"Oh, hey, finally awake," he stated, his tone half-joking, as if he wasn't sure if this awkward situation was the time for casual humor. 

 

"Yeah, yeah," you answered offhandedly, unable to meet his gaze. "Yeah, I, uh, I am." 

 

Gladio put the spatula on the countertop and then turned to fully face you. "You... alright? Remember anything from last night?" 

 

"Yeah," you answered again, this time a little sheepishly. "Jess made me go to that stupid party, I drank too much – thought I could handle it when I definitely couldn't – and you saved me from some creepy grad student. Things, uh, get a bit hazy, but apparently I ended up here?" You visibly cringed. 

 

"I slept on the couch," Gladio informed you quickly, pointing over towards the couch in question. 

 

"No, yeah, of course!" You held up your hands, waving them as if you were brushing away the thought. "I didn't think that – no." You attempted to laugh, and then cleared your throat. "Sorry, for taking your bed." 

 

"Don't be sorry," Gladio stated with a shrug, as if he saved drunk girls and let them sleep in his bed all the time. "Sorry the room's a mess." 

 

"I've seen worse," you joked lightly, giving him a smile. "Really, though, thank you." 

 

"Don't mention it," Gladio responded, ducking his head as he turned away to grab a water bottle from the fridge. "Water?" he asked, clearly trying to find some other direction to steer the conversation in. 

 

You accepted the bottle gratefully, the pounding in your head reminding you of your alcohol-induced dehydration. You glanced around the empty living room behind you and then asked, "Where's Ignis?" 

 

"At work," Gladio replied, leaning back against the counter. "He cooks at the Takka's downtown. They had him working late last night, and then opening this morning." 

 

"Oh, man, that sucks," you commented. 

 

"It's just because he's good," Gladio informed you. "He's the best cook they have, so they like to keep him around." 

 

Before you could reply, the both of you caught on to the burning smell that had slowly been filling the kitchen. You weren't sure when the transition between "delicious" and "burnt" had happened, but it had most certainly happened. 

 

"Oh, shit!" Gladio swore, hurriedly moving the pans off of their burners. 

 

Once the stove was safely off, and breakfast was named officially inedible, you spoke up. "Sorry about your food, there." 

 

 _That's a lot for one person...._ _Was he trying to make_ ** _us_** _breakfast?_  

 

This fuckin' guy. You  _drunkenly crashed in his bed_ , and he  _still_ (tried) to make you food the next morning. 

 

"Ah, it's my fault," Gladio answered with an exasperated sigh. "Got caught up talking." As an afterthought, he added, "I may not be on Ignis' level, but I _can_ cook."

 

"I believe you," you answered with a small chuckle. 

 

"So... this is a failure," Gladio commented, surveying his work. "Sorry about that. Wanna' just go somewhere for breakfast?" 

 

You could feel the blush creeping up your cheeks. "Uh, I-I don't know. Honestly, I've already taken up too much of your time." 

 

"Eh, I don't mind having you around," he stated, seemingly nonchalant. "And I need to eat before I go help Noct close the shop." 

 

 _Say no_ , you instructed yourself.  _You're wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday, your breath probably smells like ass, and the_ _humidit_ _y_ _is really fucking with your hair._  

 

"Yeah, alright," you heard yourself say. "If you're sure. But... uh... do you have some mouthwash or... something I can use? I feel like shit." 

 

 _Nailed it_ , you thought sarcastically at yourself. 

 

\-- 

 

Some mouthwash, one of Gladio's pullovers, and a truck ride later found the two of you nestled in a booth at the nearest iHop. The rainy day was casting gray light through the large restaurant windows, and the coffee you were nursing really helped set a cozy mood. 

 

You told Gladio all about the party, about Arden, and about Jess (who hadn't even bothered to call or text you back). He then told you what had went down on his side of things, although he would not respond directly when you asked him if you'd said anything super-embarrassing while you were drunk. 

 

That led to talking about drinking (he was a beer-man – shocker), and telling stories, and generally laughing and having a good time. Gladio passed for twenty-one already (again – shocker), although he didn't necessarily like to abuse the privilege. But apparently the guys had had their fair share of drunken game nights and hangouts. 

 

You absolutely insisted on footing the bill this time, and you'd slapped your twenty down before Gladio had even gotten out his wallet. It was the only cash you'd had on you yesterday, and you'd opted to take it to the party with you rather than bring your wallet and cards. You told him it was the least you could do, after your impromptu sleepover at his place. You ignored Gladio's glare, having won this round, and tucked your hands into the pockets of the oversized maroon sweatshirt he was letting you borrow. 

 

 

The drive back towards the college was pleasant despite the dreary day. The truck's windshield wipers  _thunked_ back and forth while the two of you talked. You noticed a smudge on the passenger window, from where you'd leaned your forehead against it the night before, and carefully wiped it off with your sleeve. 

 

Gladio drove right up in front of the dorm to drop you off, and when you started to pull off the maroon hoodie, he insisted you could give it back to him later; it was raining pretty hard, after all, and the shirt you had on underneath would immediately be drenched. (You had refused the umbrella he had offered you, which was tucked in the floorboard beside your feet.) 

 

And then you were telling him goodbye, and thanking him again for taking care of your drunk ass and being so nice and driving you back. And he was half-turned in his seat, warm, amber eyes watching as you prepared to face the rain. And there was that moment again, where you were almost positive he was going to reach out, tug you to him, and kiss you. 

 

You got out of the truck. 

 

A group of students sitting near the entrance let you into the dorm, and as if you were in a dream, you trudged up the stairs towards your room. You thought you were going to have to either break into your own room (not hard, honestly; all you really needed was an old credit card) or go knock on your RA's door, but it turned out Jess was in after all. 

 

She looked hungover and sleepy, and after she opened the door for you, she yawned and immediately crawled back into bed without a word. To your immense displeasure, Steven Who-Gives-A-Shit was sleeping soundly next to her. 

 

You ignored them as you gathered up your shower stuff and the clothes you wanted to change into, not bothering to stay quiet in the least. 

 

Once you were cleaned and changed and actually ready for the day, you found yourself unable to stop thinking about Gladio. You thought about him as you left Jess and Steven to sleep the day away. You thought about him as you walked back down to the dorm's ground floor. You thought about him while you sat in the lobby and listened to music as you watched the rain through the window. 

 

There was just... a lot. 

 

Like how he had taken you to breakfast... rescued you last night... put up with you while you were drunk.... He liked you. Was that full of yourself to think? It didn't make sense as to of  _why_ he would like you, but the signs were all there.... 

 

And God, did you like him. 

 

You got to your feet and shouldered your bag, unsure of exactly what you were doing but having a clear destination in mind. You'd thankfully dressed for the rain, although you'd forgotten to put your umbrella in your bag. Regardless, you pulled up the hood on your jacket and set out. 

 

Your rainboots kept your feet dry as you splashed through puddles, passing people on the sidewalk as they went about their Saturday. With every step, some part of your mind kept questioning what exactly it was you were doing, telling you that Gladio was absolutely sure to think this was  _so_ weird, and insisting that you should definitely turn around and go about your Saturday, too, just like everyone else was. 

 

But you kept walking, rain drumming against the hood of your jacket. And then you walked a little faster, because the rain was kind of chilly. And then the storefront was in sight, and you were starting to feel fear curling in your gut, and you were maybe thinking this had been a mistake, and you started running, as if you could outrun your doubts. 

 

Your hood slipped off your head, rain soaking into your hair before you could hurriedly open the door of Amicit-Games and rush inside. 

 

To your absolute surprise, you came face to face with Gladio. He had been walking towards the front of the store, and had clearly been caught off guard by your entrance. 

 

But then... he smiled. 

 

"Thank God," Gladio stated in relief, accompanying the sentence with a short, embarrassed laugh. He closed the distance between the two of you, his steps assured. "Saved me the walk."

 

And then Gladiolus Amicitia leaned down and kissed you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CODE RED, THIS IS NOT A DRILL  
> :D  
> Thanks for being patient, you guys! Consider checking out my [Tooblr](https://wanderingworldwarrior.tumblr.com/), cuz I got some new stuff in my profile description, and a new fancy icon, and stuff like that.  
> See ya' soon!


	14. Jumpscares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyyyyy, I'm alive and kicking, friends! Back at it again with the FLUFF. Wtf am I doing in Fluffville, someone help, where is the angst I know and love???  
> ANYWAY  
> This was like, nine pages long  
> I'm sorry the chapters keep getting longer, but I just keep having a lot of story in my head! D:

It wasn’t exactly a fairytale kiss, but damn if it wasn’t the closest you’d ever come to one. No, there wasn’t any romantic music, and time didn’t slow down like it did in the movies, but you’d never felt more aware of another person in your life.

 

You could feel one of Gladio’s hands run lightly up the back of your neck, fingers threading carefully through your wet hair. His other hand was solid against the small of your back, pulling you securely against him as he kissed you.

 

And his _lips_ were on _yours_ , you could barely think, your fingers reflexively tightening, lightly gripping the fabric of his shirt. You’d practically forgotten everything – where you were, why you’d come here – all other thoughts unable to break through the haze of amazed bliss you’d found yourself lost in. Because _Gladio was kissing you._ His lips were warm, insistent, as if there was a certain pent-up _want_ hidden in every movement. And your heart was pounding, blood roaring in your ears, butterflies slamming into the sides of your stomach, the whole shebang.

 

And then there was a groan…

 

But not from either of you.

 

“Good _God_ , _could_ you not?”

 

Your already flushed face went an even deeper shade of red. You stepped back a pace or two, your eyes immediately going to the floor and your hands shoved deep into the pockets of your jacket.

 

“Man, just shut up and count the drawer,” Gladio snapped, shooting Noctis a seething glare over his shoulder before turning back to you.

 

“I, uh, I-I came to… uh… um….” you stuttered out, still unable to meet Gladio’s gaze.

 

You could hear Noctis snickering under his breath from behind the counter, and you were almost certain your internal embarrassed shriek was about to become very external.

 

“Want to… talk outside?” Gladio asked, staring doubtfully at the pouring rain.

 

“Please?” you replied at once, your voice coming out higher than you’d meant it to.

 

Noctis snorted, but smartly refrained from further comment. You stepped outside, the bell chiming like always, and Gladio quickly followed. The two of you stood to the side of the door, sticking close to the shop window so the awning would block the majority of the rain.

 

“Now, that’s on me,” Gladio started immediately, shaking his head and rubbing a hand across his face. “I didn’t think. I, uh, completely forgot he was in there.”

 

He waited a beat to see if you would reply, but when your mind offered you nothing coherent, he hurriedly continued, his face flushing slightly. “I… uh…. Sorry, I didn’t really ask before I…. Ha, ha....”

 

“I was coming here to tell you I liked you,” you blurted out into the following silence.

 

“Oh,” he said, the hint of a pleased grin pulling at the corners of his lips. “I was… well, I was heading back to see you when you showed up.” He cleared his throat and gave you an embarrassed smile. “I meant it, when I said you saved me the trip. Tried to call, but your phone’s off.”

 

“Oh.” It was your turn to provide that very intelligent one-word answer. You pulled the device in question out of your pocket to find it had died, with your headphones still plugged into it. “I didn’t get a chance to charge it.” And then you remembered why you didn’t get a chance to charge it. You looked up at Gladio, finally meeting his eyes. “You’ll never believe this. _Steven_ is in my room, with Jess.”

 

“Steven Who-Gives-A-Shit?” Gladio asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“The one and only,” you confirmed.

 

You both grinned at one another, but inevitably, the awkwardness of the situation crept up again.

 

“You know…” Gladio began, his grin slowly transitioning into a grimace, “if you’d rather… we could just… pretend I didn’t just…. I mean, I’m saying we could both pretend none of that just happened. If, um, you….”

 

Your mouth popped open in surprise, and you could practically feel your stomach drop into your shoes. “Oh.” There was that word again, only this time there was a heavier emotion attached to it. “Um, is that what you… want?”

 

“What?” Gladio asked, eyes wide. “No, I –”

 

The door to the shop swung open and Noctis emerged, already scowling at the rain as he stepped out under the building’s awning. He offered an umbrella to Gladio, and you recognized it as the one from his truck.

 

“You guys done with the PDA stuff? Did you get to the part where you asked her to hang out tonight, or what?” Noctis asked, rolling his eyes as he opened his own umbrella.

 

Your mind was elsewhere.

 

_Gladio said ‘no’…. That meant he didn’t want to pretend he hadn’t kissed you…. Right?_

 

“Hang out?” you echoed, your mind struggling to focus on several trains of thought at once.

 

“Yeah, for Halloween,” Gladio hurriedly supplied. “A day late, but you know. If you aren’t busy. I mean, I’d like you to come.”

 

Noctis snickered, the sound not going unnoticed by Gladio. He whirled around towards his friend and heatedly asked, “Don’t you have to go be a little shit somewhere else?”

 

“Whatever,” Noctis replied, not bothering to hide the wide smirk spreading across his face. “I mean, after that display I figured you’d want to bail on us, Gladio. Have a little alone time.”

 

“Oh, my God,” you groaned miserably.

 

“What’s it gonna’ take to shut you up?” Gladio asked Noct.

 

“Oh, you’ll never live this down,” Noctis said flatly, staring straight into Gladio’s face. He then turned and started walking off down the sidewalk, calling out over his shoulder in a sarcastic drawl, “See you at the apartment, lovebirds.”

 

The two of you stood in silence, listening to the rain as you watched Noctis cross the street and head towards the college parking lot.

 

“I’ll kill him,” Gladio decided aloud, nodding his head once.

 

He pulled a keychain from his pocket and stepped over to lock the shop door. Once the bolt had clicked into place, he turned to you, seeming more unsure than ever. “If you don’t want to hang out tonight…. Well…. I understand. I mean, I’d like you to, but I get it.”

 

“No, I…. I’m fine with it,” you said. You thought about his previous offer, of forgetting anything had happened between the two of you, and tentatively added, “If you’re sure.”

 

“Positive,” Gladio affirmed.

 

He opened his umbrella and held it between the two of you, giving you a hopeful smile. “Walk with me?”

 

You returned Gladio’s smile and matched pace with him as you both followed the path Noctis had taken. You found that the tangled ball of nerves in your stomach was still present, and again, you weren’t sure what to say.

 

However, as you focused on the sounds of your shoes hitting the wet sidewalk and the pattering of raindrops against the umbrella’s canopy, you felt yourself slowly relaxing. You were once more struck by the fact that silences with Gladio weren’t uncomfortable. He was simply content to be beside you, without feeling the need to press conversation.

 

After walking a block, everything seemed to fall back into place, like this was just another one of your normal hangouts. Although, you had to admit, there was one notable difference. _He kissed me_ , you thought to yourself. _He really kissed me_.

 

And _wow_ , did you want to kiss him again.

 

It took another block for you to notice that Gladio was holding the umbrella more so over you than himself, and after a subtle glance his way you realized his left side was thoroughly drenched.

 

“Shoulder,” you said ( _just_ _really nailing conversations today_ , you lamented internally), and you nodded your head towards the stream of water coming off the umbrella and soaking straight into his shirt.

 

“Psh, it’s fine,” Gladio said, shrugging the aforementioned shoulder.

 

You reached up and, with a single finger, pushed on the back of his fist until the umbrella he was holding was (truly) centered in between the two of you. Droplets started bouncing off your right side, sliding down your jacket.

 

“Nope, don’t think so,” Gladio said, moving the umbrella back to its previous position.

 

“Seriously, it’s only fair!” you insisted, nudging him with your elbow as you knocked the handle towards him again.

 

“Yeah, okay, sure,” he said and, with a playful grin, stuck out his arm so that the umbrella solely covered you, leaving him to the mercy of the rain.

 

“Quit that!” you exclaimed, laughing as you did your best to get him back under cover.

 

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I may be sweet, but I promise I won’t melt in the rain,” Gladio said, grin broadening into a smirk.

 

“Oooh, that was _bad_ ,” you said as you tried your damndest not to break out into an extremely girly giggle fit.

 

“Nah, c’mon, it made you laugh so it counts,” Gladio said, still matching step with you outside of the umbrella.

 

“When you get sick, I’m not having you blame me!” you said, unable to keep the smile off your face as you closed your hand around his fist and attempted once more to push the handle back his way.

 

He caved, the momentum of your push bringing you closer to him than before. You were both huddled under the umbrella, stumbling a bit as the two of you laughed, and when you looked up you realized you’d made it to the edge of campus.

 

“Jeez, your hand’s freezing,” Gladio said, a frown crossing his handsome features.

 

“Oh, sorry,” you said quickly, pulling your hand back and tucking your fists into the pockets of your jacket.

 

He hesitated for a moment and then looped his arm around you, pulling you to his side. Your heart thudded in your chest, and again your mind fed you memories of your earlier kiss.

 

“Did you have anything you needed to do?” Gladio asked as you neared your dorm. “Specs should be back at the apartment by now, and Noct’s heading over. Prompto will be on his way, too. You could ride with me, if you wanted to come over now.”

 

“I could come over now,” you said slowly. You worried your lip and glanced up towards your companion. “But… I feel like I’m crashing another of you guys’ group events.”

 

“Hey, don’t start that,” Gladio said, his arm briefly tightening around you. “You heard Noctis. That bastard already knew I was inviting you.”

 

You sighed and rolled your eyes. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

“Need anything from the dorm?” Gladio asked.

 

“I don’t think so,” you answered. “And honestly, I’m not interested in being around Jess or her man, or whatever.”

 

“Mr. Who-Gives-A-Shit,” Gladio said with a grin.

 

“Not my best nickname, I know,” you told him.

 

You lapsed into easy conversation all the way to Gladio’s truck, where he reluctantly released you as you opened the door.

 

\--

 

Upon walking into the guys’ apartment, Gladio immediately groaned loudly. “No, not tonight!”

 

Once you made it inside, you realized what had caused his outburst. Prompto was in the living room with Noctis, and the two of them were obviously set up for a recording session. Prompto was fiddling with settings on the camera while Noct laid in the floor clicking through screens on one hell of a laptop.

 

“C’mon, it’s _spooky_ game night for Halloween! Of course this is going up!” Prompto said by way of greeting, accentuating the word ‘spooky’ by waving his hands and fluctuating his voice. “Noct and I want to see you guys play through something we’ve already beat.”

 

“I refuse to play another _Five Nights_ game, Prompto,” Ignis stated, walking into the living room and closing the door to his bedroom behind him. “I told you last year that I don’t care for their cheap jumpscares, and another one coming out will _not_ change my mind.”

 

“You’re just mad you couldn’t beat 20/20/20/20 mode,” Noctis said from the floor.

 

“It’s about the lore, Iggy!” Prompto exclaimed before Ignis could protest. Prom made a final adjustment to the camera, and then started pulling little clip-on mics from a bag by his feet. “It’s about the lore! But no, Noct brought his PS4, and he’s had _P.T._ downloaded since it came out.”

 

“Didn’t that get released ages ago?” Gladio asked as you shrugged out of your jacket.

 

“Hi!” Prompto told you, beaming as he made eye contact. His blue gaze flashed back to Gladio once you’d given him a small wave. “Yeah, it did, but have any of you played it?”

 

He was met with a resounding negative from the group.

 

“You bitches are getting scared tonight,” Noctis said with a grin.

 

“I ordered pizza,” Ignis stated as he settled on the couch. He sounded tired, which you figured was understandable after his early work shift. “Let’s just get this started.”

 

You opted out when Prompto tried to get you in on the video. You still felt like you were butting into these guys’ lives, and you didn’t want to intrude in such a way. You dodged his urgings by asking if he had a charger for your phone (he happily retrieved it for you from his bag of tech), and then you settled in the recliner, which was by a wall outlet.

 

Gladio glanced over at you apologetically while Noctis turned the game on and Prompto started shutting off the lights. “I didn’t know they were doing this tonight.”

 

“Oh, it’s fine,” you said. “I’m interested to see how this plays out. Pun intended.”

 

Gladio snickered and rolled his eyes, and was in the middle of offering to move the recliner closer to the group when Noctis called out and tossed him the controller.

 

The night unfolded in a highly amusing and terrifying manner.

 

The guys had obviously filmed together before, and you watched from the sidelines as the game began. Gladio manned the controller, and there was no lack of commentary from the group on the couch. The swears and exclamations after some of the jump scares were hilarious (although after each scare was over both Gladio and Ignis claimed they hadn’t been frightened at all). Gladio glanced your way every now and then, when you couldn’t help but chuckle at something one of the guys had said or done.

 

You hadn’t played _P.T._ , and quickly became as engrossed as the guys were. The looping hallway, the creepy ambiance, the horrifying thing in the sink…. It was all admittedly a little spooky.

 

So spooky, in fact, that the pizza delivery guy abruptly knocking on the door caused everyone to jump and shout or swear.

 

The laughter afterwards was definitely worth it, as was the pizza.

 

Ignis took over the controller after the break, triumphantly working through the obscure puzzles with ease. Towards the end, when even Ignis was stumped and Prompto and Noctis had to start giving out instructions on completing the game, you took a moment to check your phone.

 

Jess still hadn’t texted or called. Your mom had sent you a message, wanting to know how your holiday was and asking you to call her (she had just started using emojis in her texts, and had obviously had fun picking out the Halloween related ones). Willow had asked how your night had gone, and informed you that she’d be back tomorrow evening if you wanted to hang out.

 

You answered your mom and told her you’d call her later, and then texted Will to sum up your Halloween and subsequent morning (in a message longer than you’d initially thought it would be) and asked how her night had been.

 

You turned your attention back to the game for a bit, and eventually you felt your phone buzz.

 

‘ _I’m sorry the party was so awful! Damn. And that guy! What a creepy jerk! Ugh, I’m so glad nothing bad happened._

_But GLADIO SAVED YOU?! YOU SLEPT IN HIS ROOM??! HE TOOK YOU TO BREAKFAST?_

_Wow, that’s crazy!’_

You were grinning embarrassingly at your phone, and had already sent her a message back (‘ _And… HE KISSED ME, WILL!!’)_ when you got another text from her.

 

_‘I spent Halloween with my family, and it was really nice! It felt good to be back home for a while. My brother had friends over and we all watched scary movies lol_

_We should definitely hang out tomorrow!!’_

By the time you’d finished reading, she’d received the message you’d sent and was typing a response, which came in a second later.

 

_‘OH MY GOD, THAT’S AWESOME!!!!’_

 

“Yes!” Ignis exclaimed, breaking you out of your thoughts.

 

They’d finished the final puzzle and had made it out of the game’s house. You looked up to watch the ending cutscenes with the group, and when the credits finally started rolling, the chatter and discussion picked up at once.

 

With the camera shut off and _Outlast_ chosen as the next game, the group shifted into their normal seating arrangement. Gladio beckoned you over to sit next to him, all wolfish grin and warm eyes.

 

“Scared yet?” he asked as you sat down. “Heard you yell when pizza man knocked.”

 

“ _Everyone_ yelled, alright?” you countered with a scoff. “I’m rock solid. Totally not a whimp. Absolutely unshooken, I promise you that.”

 

As Gladio laughed and continued his teasing, his arm settled on the back of the couch just behind your shoulders, much like the first time you’d come over for game night.

 

You didn’t miss the raised eyebrow and smirk Noctis shot towards you both.

 

But fuck it, it felt nice, and Gladio was nice, and he’d kissed you earlier, and he’d put his arm around you in the rain, and now this, and jeez, your heart was getting a workout today, wasn’t it?

 

Prompto insisted you play the game’s opening, and when you finally agreed, you found yourself having a ton of fun with a group of people who enjoyed being nerds as much as you did.

 

Games were swapped, time passed, and Ignis eventually started nodding off. He pronounced that he was turning in, told you that it was a delight to have you over, and then retired to his room.

 

Noct retrieved his laptop and then sat back in his spot on the couch, spreading out to take up the space Ignis had left behind. Prompto was lying flat on his back in the floor, holding his phone in front of his face and thumbing through some kind of app.

 

“You guys staying here or going home?” Gladio asked Noctis and Prompto, stretching his arms up over his head and cracking his neck.

 

“Staying,” Noctis answered, yawning and opening his laptop.

 

“What he said!” Prompto agreed, lifting an arm up and pointing to the ceiling from his position on the floor.

 

Gladio bumped you with his shoulder. “About ready to head back?”

 

It was late, and you already felt like you’d taken up a _ton_ of Gladio’s time today. You’d spent almost the entire day with him, _including_ waking up in his apartment. He was probably ready to drop you off and sleep in his own bed.

 

“Yeah, I should be getting back,” you conceded, getting to your feet.

 

 _He kissed me today_ , you thought as you both walked to the door and you put on your raincoat. _Oh, God, he kissed me today, and he’s about to drive me back to the dorm. Fuck, what if he kisses me again? Fuck, what if he **doesn’t**?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider following my [Tooblr](https://wanderingworldwarrior.tumblr.com/), where I post and reblog nerd stuff sometimes  
> Consider joining my [Discord](https://discord.gg/AbBAEY5), which can serve as a secondary notification system for when I post new chapters for this fic (or you can just come yell at me tbh) ((it has a channel for my other fic series, but you can mute that if you aren't into it))  
> THAT'S IT FRIENDS, SEE YOU NEXT CHAPTER, I'LL GET US OUT OF OCTOBER SOON, I PROMISE


	15. Pause

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buying a new house is exciting!  
> Moving is a bitch.  
> Getting settled is a bitch.  
> Fixing up your old house to sell is a bitch.  
> .....  
> Anywaaaayyy  
> This story is long due for an update, jeezums. So, in my good ol' spare time, I finally managed to get a little more of this plot out of my head!  
> Sorry for the unintended hiatus!  
> It's been a while in between updates, but I hope everyone remembers what was going on when we left off lol

The cab of the truck was quiet, which seemed even more pronounced after the loud evening the two of you had had with the group. You didn’t want to force conversation, but you had to admit that this wasn’t the usual comfortable silence you often experienced with Gladio. You felt tense and unsure, somewhat excited but not quite hopeful. It left you itching to speak, to just start talking until things could lapse back into something close to normal.

 

The truck’s heater was maybe a little too hot, and after a bit you had to shrug out of your jacket. The storm had transitioned into a light rain that pattered against the windshield. You found yourself focusing on it unintentionally, as if your mind had latched onto the soothing white noise.

 

The road to the college was in sight. You were losing time sitting here being socially incapacitated. You had to say _something_.

 

But before you could muster up the courage, Gladio cleared his throat. “Thanks for coming over tonight. I know today has been kinda….”

 

His sentence trailed off, and you found yourself nodding. “To be honest, this whole weekend has been kinda… yeah.”

 

Gladio grimaced, eyes fixed on the road. “Yeah. I… yeah.”

 

You were both dancing around the topic, and your mind was not providing you any natural way to bring up the specifics of what you wanted to talk about. Your head still rang a little bit, the pain a clingy reminder of your bad decisions the night before. You rubbed at one of your eyes and hurriedly stated, “I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing. I just mean it’s been… busy.” You let out a little, wavering laugh. “Definitely a Halloween for the books.”

 

Gladio managed a grin. “Well, I guess you’re right about that.”

 

He pulled up in front of your dorm and put the truck in park, his right hand leaving the wheel to fiddle with the controls for the heat. A single streetlight near the dorm entrance created a swathe of dark shadows inside of the truck’s cab. Your heart thudded heavily in your chest, and you just couldn’t take the tense atmosphere anymore.

 

You tentatively reached out and took Gladio’s hand, your fingers sliding carefully through his. He glanced over at you, and you felt your cheeks heat up. It was a little gesture, yeah, but in the small space of the truck it seemed like… something else. He didn’t pull back, and you took that as a good sign. His hands were calloused, his fingertips rough. “Are you alright?” you asked quietly, unable to meet his eyes. “If this is too weird, then I get it, okay?”

 

Seconds ticked by, and with each one you felt the awkwardness of the moment increasing.

 

Finally, Gladio spoke up, his voice strained, “I’m not trying to… I’m not trying to make things weird between us, okay? I mean, I’m just saying that I…. And I guess today I saw you there and it just…. Damn it!” He broke off in frustration. “I can’t get out what I’m trying to say.” You looked up at him, confused and worried and trying to understand. As you met his gaze, he squeezed your hand and let out an exasperated huff. “Can I just….”

 

He pulled his hand from yours only to place it on your shoulder, to trail his fingers down your arm. His creased brows created a worried line on his forehead, and you wanted nothing more than to reach up and smooth it out. But it seemed like too intimate of a gesture, and you didn’t want to overstep. Besides, it seemed like he was about to pull away….

 

“It’s alright,” you said quietly, glancing at the slowly waving windshield wipers. The tiny thumps of rain on the roof of the truck seemed especially loud all of a sudden. Gladio started to say your name, but you cleared your throat. “Really, it’s alright. Thanks for today, though.”

 

You unbuckled your seatbelt, Gladio’s brows narrowing again at the sound of the snap. You started to turn so you could gather your things, but found a little resistance. Gladio’s hand, which had come to a rest on your forearm, had now tightened slightly. “Wait,” he said hurriedly. “Look, I’m not saying the right things, alright?” He shifted closer to you, his other hand taking your own. Everything was silent for a couple of seconds. “Alright?” he finally repeated, his tone hushed.

 

And you were suddenly extremely aware of him, of how close he was to you in such a small space. Of how warm his hands were. You were taken back to the first time the two of you had studied together in the library, to his arm across your shoulders at game night, to him kissing you earlier that day. Your heart was pounding steadily once again, your stomach performing the same acrobatic feats it had at each occasion.

 

“Alright,” you answered softly.

 

You wanted to ask him what he was trying to say, if he wasn’t saying the right things, but your train of thought stuttered to a halt when Gladio’s hand slowly moved from your arm to the side of your face. His thumb gingerly rubbed across your jaw, and even though it was dark in the cab, you were no less caught up in his gaze.

 

“Can I just…?” he asked, voice hushed as his nose brushed against yours.

 

Instead of answering, you tentatively bridged the gap and pressed your lips lightly against his. His hand tightened in yours, his other sliding from your cheek to the back of your head as he eagerly reciprocated.

 

This wasn’t a rushed kiss in the middle of a game store.

 

His lips were insistent on yours, the scratch of his facial hair rough against your skin. You felt his hands tighten in your hair, his teeth against your bottom lip. You let out a gasp, and at once the grip loosened, your lip released.

 

_Fuck, no, that’s not what I…. I didn’t mean…._

 

You pressed closer to him, your hand flat against his chest while the other gripped at his shoulder. The seatbelt’s buckle pressed uncomfortably against the back of your thigh, but you ignored it. You realized your hand was clenching the front of Gladio’s shirt, and you made a conscious effort to release it.

 

He could back away if he wanted to.

 

He didn’t want to.

 

Gladio’s hand brushed against your jaw again, threaded its way through your hair, his lips moving against yours once more. You copied him, your own hand snaking around the back of his neck, your head tilting to the side. His breath hitched when your tongue traced his lip, the barest hint of a groan rumbling in his broad chest.

 

_Fuck._

That was the only word that kept running through your mind, his fingers running through your hair, his other hand tracing down your side, fumbling at the bottom of your shirt, sharp breaths, fingertips brushing warm against your skin and leaving chillbumps in their wake….

 

Gladio hesitated… and then pulled away. He released you slowly, almost _carefully_ , staring down at you with an expression you couldn’t quite understand in the dim light of the truck’s cab. He tugged his seatbelt away from his chest – he hadn’t unbuckled, you just now realized. That must have been uncomfortable.

 

“I-I should go,” you said, still a little breathless.

 

“Maybe,” he responded after a second or two. He cleared his throat, his hands flexing against the steering wheel. “Yeah. Damn.”

 

“Damn what?” you asked.

 

“Eh, nothing,” Gladio replied, casting a glance your way. “I’ll… text you, if that’s okay.”

 

“Yeah,” you said back. Your thoughts felt hazy, your emotions scattered all over the place. You gathered your things and opened the truck door. Upon stepping out onto the wet sidewalk, you realized with a bit of relief that the rain had stopped.

 

“Hey,” Gladio called after you. This time, his tone held no sense of uncertainty; it was warm – _normal_. When you turned back to him, there was the hint of a smile on his face. “I’ll see you later.”

 

“G’night,” you said, also unable to keep a small, shy smile off your face.

 

\--

 

Jess and Mr. Who-Gives-A-Shit were gone. You stood in the doorway of your dorm room, staring at the shadow cast from the hall light. You almost wished Jess had been here, simply so you’d have a distraction from the rollercoaster of a day you’d had. So that you could focus on being cross with her instead of the bunch of confused emotions building in your chest.

 

Like, what the actual hell.

 

You shuffled inside without bothering to turn on the overhead lights, closing the door and then making your way across the room to the lamp on your nightstand. Again, the click it made seemed too loud for the quiet room, just like the rain in the truck. You threw your coat towards your beanbag chair and then sat on the edge of your bed, staring down at your rain boots.

 

You thought they were pretty cute rain boots; your mother had bought them for you. Usually your tastes in fashion didn’t line up all that well, but you had to admit, these were some pretty rad boots. Definitely not the cheap kind. Your toes had been dry all day, that was for sure. Some damn good boots.

 

… Unfortunately, your rad boots weren’t enough to keep your mind off of other, more complicated trains of thought. Such as: what the actual hell.

 

First that kiss, which you thought was amazing, but then that awkward ride home, but then making out in the truck and wowsa, that was sure something, but then, just like, _what the actual hell_?

 

You could still feel his lips, his fingers pulling at the hem of your shirt….

 

You rubbed your face and tried to clear your head. Getting ready to sleep would help. A shower would be ideal. It would make waiting to see if he actually texted you less of a pain.

 

At least, you hoped so.

 

\--

 

Clean, warm, and curled up in bed, you finally allowed yourself to check your phone.

 

And sure enough, you had a text.

 

A long text.

 

‘ _Hey. Look, I know today’s been kind of weird. I made it weird. And… I don’t know, I feel like sometimes I’m better on the page than in person, and when it comes to you, I just can’t think straight, so, sorry this has to be a text instead of a conversation._

_God, I reread this message and I’m about to come across as a real asshole here. Anyway._

_I like you. I mean, truthfully I liked you when I first saw you. But that was in a “hey, she’s hot” kind of way. And I don’t know, I thought that was it, you know? That’s how it is with me._

_Like, usually I hangout with a girl, and then we don’t talk anymore._

_Eh, you know what I mean by hangout._

_But then you and I actually hung out, like talking, and studying, and having lunch with Specs. And then I started thinking that I might like you-like you, not in a one night stand way. So I decided to back off while I thought stuff over, focused on school, stopped trying to make a too-soon move or whatever. But then Halloween happened and_

_God, I’m not making any fucking sense._

_I’m just trying to say that I’m not used to dating. And I like you, but I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. And I’ve wanted to kiss you, and it was great, but then I realized that if we don’t work out or something I’d fuck up being friends with you, and then I wouldn’t see you anymore. And I’d miss that. I’d miss you._

_So yeah, that’s why it’s been weird. I don’t know what the hell you’ll make of all of this._

_You don’t have to answer this, I know it’s long and confusing. I’m sorry’_

… Oh.


	16. Press 'Continue' to Keep Playing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya girl is alive and here to update you on the saga of Reader and Gladio  
> Also, there are 158 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) of you subscribed to this fic, and I love each and every one of you with all of my lil heart, thank you so much.  
> It's currently 6am, I hope this chapter has no mistakes because I tried proofreading twice but may have missed something cuz I'm a tired bitch.  
> Anywho, thanks to all of you, seriously <3

You were glad Willow preferred hanging out in calm, quiet environments, because there was no way you’d be able to deal with a whole lot going on around you at the moment. You were tired – you’d stayed up way too late, and when you did manage to fall sleep you didn’t sleep well. Your emotions were all over the place, but you put on a good face and absolutely _insisted_ Will tell you about her weekend first.

 

You’d driven the both of you to a little coffee shop that Willow had suggested trying. It was off campus, tucked away in a part of town that didn’t get near as much traffic. You thought you’d heard Ignis mention it once before during one of your lunch meet-ups, and you were glad you finally had a chance to go.

 

The smell of coffee and baked goods was easy on the nose, and the café’s aesthetic was easy on the eyes. A large mural of a tree covered the wall behind the counter, and the lighting was purposefully soft, the restaurant relying more on natural light from the wide front windows than fluorescent bulbs.

 

You and your friend sat at a two-person table off to the side of the café, happily avoiding the others in the room. After your insistence that she talk first, Willow finally gave in with a sigh.

 

“My weekend was… okay,” she said after a moment’s hesitation, setting her coffee cup down on the table in front of her.

 

You raised an eyebrow. “Just okay? What’s going on? I thought you said you had fun watching movies with your brother?”

 

“Yeah, I did,” Will said, nodding. “That part was fine. It’s just…. I don’t know.” You waited silently, taking a drink as you watched the girl across from you. She glanced up and sighed again. “It’s my mom. We got into an argument before I left. It’s really nothing, but it’s been on my mind, and I guess it feels good to get it out.”

 

“Feel free to vent,” you encouraged, warming your hands on your coffee cup. Will seemed upset, and it made you feel bad to see such a nice person so troubled. “I may not be able to help, but I have two ears and can listen.”

 

Willow grimaced and took another drink before speaking. “She doesn’t approve of my major. She would rather me study medicine, or business, or… anything but writing, I guess.”

 

“Really?” you asked, eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Yeah,” Will said, frowning down at her coffee. “But my dad’s really supportive, so that’s good. It’s just… it gets to me.” She took a deep breath and then looked back up at you. “So, other than that, my weekend was good. Ate candy, watched movies, and got to see my family. Not _near_ as exciting as your weekend.” She gave you a smile, obviously waiting for you to launch into your own story.

 

You watched her for a moment and then said, “I’m… sorry you’re having to deal with that. At least your dad’s being encouraging! And from what you’ve told me, you’ve been doing great in your courses so far. I mean, you’re totally killing it in our Comp class, I’ve seen that first hand. And hey, props for picking a major you’re actually interested in. If you’re passionate about it, I’d say stick with it, but that’s just me – Ms. Undeclared.”

 

Will grinned at you and then looked down at her coffee. “Thanks,” she said quietly. She took a sip of her drink and then said, “Now, really, tell me about your weekend. It sounded… _interesting_.” She said the word with a teasing look, obviously referencing the kiss you’d told her about.

 

“Well, ‘interesting’ is a way to put it,” you grumbled, a pit of anxiety immediately forming in your stomach.

 

You gave her a more in-depth rundown than you had in your text, going over Jess’ invitation, your dumb mistakes at the party, creepy Ardyn and Gladio’s rescue. The morning after, breakfast, and your crazy quest to go tell Gladio how you felt about him. And on, and on, until… he’d dropped you off….

 

“You don’t seem happy,” Willow said when you fell silent. She looked confused, her fingers fiddling absentmindedly with the cardboard sleeve around her coffee. “You guys kissed again, but you aren’t happy about it?”

 

“It’s just complicated,” you admitted, and every bit of negative emotion you’d been holding back suddenly flooded forward. You absolutely _refused_ to break down in the middle of a random café, so instead you hurriedly sniffed and let out a little laugh. “He said he doesn’t want to ruin our friendship… so… you know….”

 

You thought back on the texts from last night. You hadn’t really known how to answer the message Gladio had sent you, but you’d done your best to play it cool.

 

 _‘Hey, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,’_ you’d said. _‘I’m fine being just friends, if that’s what you want.’_

 

But after sending that, it felt like there was a lump in your throat and a ball of lead in your stomach, so you’d followed up with, _‘We could just keep hanging out as friends without putting a label on it, or something, idk. I just don’t want things to be weird between us.’_

_‘I don’t either,’_ he’d finally replied.

“Oh,” Willow said.

 

“Yeah, he said he doesn’t, like, normally date, or whatever, so… I guess we’re just gonna’ keep being friends? I’m supposed to hang out with him and his sister and some of the guys this weekend.”

 

“Really?” Will asked, raising an eyebrow. “To prove you guys are fine?”

 

“I guess so,” you said with a shrug.

 

“Where are you going?” she asked, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

 

\--

 

The arcade parking lot wasn’t especially full, and you immediately spotted Gladio’s truck. It looked like everyone had already gone inside. Even though you knew this was just a friendly hangout, you still felt nerves bubbling in your stomach.

 

You’d kept yourself busy all week, hyper-focusing on school. Gladio had been overly friendly when you’d met with him and Ignis for lunch, no doubt realizing he’d probably hurt your feelings by being so uncertain. Still, it seemed like he was making a real effort to be friends, and you figured you could live with that, even if it did sort of… hurt.

 

You shut off your car and opened the door, looking out at the building in front of you. It seemed old and a little run-down, the sign over the front door reading ‘Retrocade’.

 

You’d never been to an honest-to-God arcade before. Curious, you pushed open the glass door and quickly peered around the darkened room. There were _so many_ games, their screens glowing brightly, flashing letters begging for tokens and proclaiming high scores.

 

You could see a few people milling about, although the place was far from busy. You thought you caught a glimpse of the back of Gladio’s head at a console across the room.

 

A man sat behind the front counter, his feet kicked up on its edge as he leaned back in his chair. His black hair was cropped close on the sides, with little braids peeking out amongst the longer locks. He looked up from his phone when the door opened, and upon seeing you he swung his feet down and stood up. “Hey, welcome!”

 

“Hey,” you answered, glancing around uncertainly.

 

“First time here?” he guessed, pointing a finger at you and giving you a half-smile.

 

“Yes,” you stated, returning his smile and tucking your hands into your jacket pockets.

 

“Sweet,” he told you. “Alright, here’s how it works. It’s ten dollars to get in, and then you can play whatever you want for however long you want. No tokens, or whatever. Just press start.”

 

“Really?” you asked, digging through your bag for your wallet. “That’s pretty cool. I’ve never heard of a place like this before.”

 

“Oh, yeah, we got all the classics,” he said happily. “I’m talking Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Asteroids, you name it.”

 

You gave him your card, unsure of what else to say. “My cousin had an Atari Plug and Play thing,” you stated awkwardly. “We played a lot of Centipede.”

 

“Centipede’s right over there,” the guy said, pointing over to your left. He grinned as he ran your card. “Tell you what: beat my high score and I’ll give you your money back.”

 

“Really, now?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Really,” he confirmed, handing you back your card. “I always offer up the challenge, and I’ve _yet_ to give anyone their money back. So, good luck.”

 

“Noted,” you said with a grin.

 

“Dig-Dug doesn’t count,” he added begrudgingly. “Both of my coworkers have beaten me already. But that’s just a fluke, I swear.”

 

“I believe you,” you said unconvincingly.

 

“Uh huh,” he said, giving you a look and leaning over on the counter. “So, what other games did the Atari Plug and Play have on it? Couldn’t have been just Centipede.”

 

“Centipede was the only one he was any good at, so that’s all he wanted to play,” you explained, rolling your eyes.

 

“You missed out!” he exclaimed, sitting back down in his chair and propping his feet back up on the counter. “Probably had some cool classics on there.”

 

“Probably so,” you agreed. “And I missed out on all of the practice I could’ve had to beat your high score.”

 

 And as the guy opened his mouth to say something else, you heard your name.

 

You looked over to see Gladio walking up, his sister (Iris, you think her name was) beaming at you and then looking hopefully towards the door. You turned and thanked the guy at the counter before heading further into the arcade to meet up with them.

 

“Hey,” you said, giving the two of them a little wave.

 

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite customer!” Iris chimed, a friendly smile spread across her face.

 

You laughed and then swung your bag around so that she could see the buttons you had pinned on it. “All still here!” you said to her.

 

“Did you see any of the guys out there?” Iris asked before Gladio could say anything. “You’re the first one to show up!”

 

“Oh, no, I didn’t,” you stated, glancing behind you towards the front of the arcade. “Did they text or anything?”

 

“Iggy said he had to study for some big test he has coming up,” Gladio said, checking his phone, “But I haven’t heard from the other two.”

 

“Ah, okay,” Iris said, her lighthearted tone dropping a little bit. “Well, that’s alright. I’m sure they’ll show up soon!” She sighed and then pursed her lips. “In the meantime….” She turned to survey the arcade consoles the three of you were standing by, putting her hands on her hips as she thought. “I’ve got to find one of these that I’m super good at so I can beat that guy’s score.”

 

“I still think he’s a hacker or something,” Gladio said, cutting a doubtful glance at the guy behind the counter.

 

“Doesn’t matter! I can still win!” Iris stated with confidence, chin up as she walked towards the closest console.

 

You chuckled at her, and then looked over at Gladio. There was a moment of unsure silence…. He ran a hand through the back of his hair and then said, “Ever played any of these?”

 

You blurted out the thing about your cousin having an Atari Plug and Play – conversation winner for sure.

 

“Huh. Well, do you want to try that? I think I saw it….” He trailed off and looked around, eyes narrowing as he searched.

 

And just like that, you were thinking about last week.

 

_‘Can I just…?’ he had asked, amber eyes holding yours as he leaned in closer, his nose brushing against yours, his hand on your arm, fingers tugging on the bottom of your shirt…._

**Stop thinking about it.** You wished you could scream it louder; maybe then your thoughts would listen.

 

“I think the guy said it was over there,” you said abruptly, gesturing towards the direction you remembered him pointing out.

 

“Alright. Want to go check it out?” Gladio asked, glancing over at you.

 

You agreed, and the two of you headed deeper into the arcade. You started up a game of Centipede, and Gladio kept an eye on Iris as he halfheartedly played on the console next to yours (Mrs. Pac-Man).

 

The small talk between the two of you eventually died down, and you focused on playing rather than thinking of what to say next. After a bit, Gladio spoke up. “Guy at the counter seemed chatty. You know him?”

 

“No, I’ve never met him,” you said, frowning as you lost your last life to one of the spiders at the bottom of the screen. The high scores flashed up, and you read through the names. “Apparently his initials are ‘NYX’ though.”

 

“Yeah, he’s got the high score on almost every game here,” Gladio told you, pointing at the Mrs. Pac-Man screen. He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he stated, “But ‘CRO’ and ‘LIB’ both have him beat on Dig-Dug. Iris has been talking about it since we got here. She really wants to beat him.”

 

“I hope she does, because there’s no way I’m beating him,” you said, taking a step away from the console. “Not on this game, at least. Iris has the right idea by trying to find one she’s really good at.”

 

“Well,” Gladio said, frowning at his phone, “Noct and Prompto bailed.”

 

“Really?” you asked. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he answered, rolling his eyes. “Prom says it’s school stuff, and Noct’s apparently got a dinner thing with his family tonight.”

 

“Oh,” you said, shrugging as you adjusted your bag. “I think they would’ve liked this place. Or wait, have you guys been here before?”

 

“Nah,” Gladio answered. “Someone at CA mentioned it a couple weeks back, and I’ve been meaning to get everyone together to go.”

 

“CA?” you asked.

 

“Oh, sorry. It’s my dad’s martial arts studio thing. CA Martial,” he replied, taking a step away from the console. Gladio shrugged and then looked over at you. “What score did you get last time?” You told him, a bit of a question in your tone. Gladio gave you his signature wolfish grin and said, “We may not be able to beat ‘NYX’, but we can still have a competition.”

 

“So, Iris isn’t the only competitive one, I see,” you teased, grinning back at him. “Alright, you’re on. But not Centipede. I’m apparently horrible at Centipede.”

 

Gladio laughed, and suddenly it was as if all of the weird tension was gone. You easily bested his score on Mrs. Pac-Man, but he had you on Space Invaders. It was Dig-Dug, though, that the both of you were pretty good at. You each played it multiple times, beating the other out every new round.

 

You were laughing, Gladio was laughing, you were both teasing each other, jokingly trying to mess one another up. When you were up again, you were entirely focused on the game, doing your absolute best to beat his score. And when you finally did, you cheered for yourself and turned to see him watching you with a small smile on his face.

 

“Giving up?” you asked with a grin.

 

“Yeah, I guess so,” he answered with a big, fake sigh. “I pronounce you Ruler of Dig-Dug.”

 

“Not the best name, but I’ll take it,” you said. “At least we both made the scoreboard,” you pointed out with a laugh.

 

“Here, Rampage’s up to three players,” Gladio said, moving over to the game on your right. “Want to help me destroy a city?”

 

“I’ve been waiting my entire life to hear those words,” you joked, moving over beside him.

 

During the middle of the game you noticed that Iris had gotten closer and was watching you and Gladio play. She glanced between the two of you and then shot you a big thumbs up and a grin.

 

You immediately felt your face go red, and when your mouth dropped open, she started laughing. When you looked back at the screen, you realized you’d died. Iris bounded up to the console and began mashing buttons on Gladio’s side.

 

“Hey, hey!” Gladio exclaimed, trying to nudge her out of the way. “Watch it!”

 

“This ‘NYX’ guy is unbeatable,” Iris lamented. “I feel like I’ve tried everything. I got so close on Space Invaders, though!”

 

“Still think he hacked the games or something,” Gladio said without taking his eyes off the screen.

 

“So, are Noct and Prom just really late, or…?” Iris asked, looking up at her brother with the same hopeful expression from earlier.

 

“They both said they couldn’t make it,” Gladio told her.

 

“Oh,” Iris said, the smile definitely falling from her face this time.

 

At her tone, Gladio looked over towards her, game forgotten. “Sorry. Looks like it’s just the three of us.”

 

“This game’s three players,” you said. “Wanna’ join?”

 

After a second or two, Iris was smiling again. “Yeah, alright! But I get to be….” She scanned the characters on the screen, and then pointed to the wolf, “Ralph!”

 

\--

 

Eventually, the three of you were played out. With the sun setting and more people coming to the arcade, you all decided it was time to head back. The infamous ‘NYX’ guy was no longer manning the front desk, and upon seeing this Iris grumbled, “He’s not even there! Looks like even if we _had_ beaten him, we wouldn’t have gotten a refund.”

 

“Still, this place is pretty cool,” you commented as you followed the siblings out the door. “You just pay to get in, and then play whatever you want as many times as you want? I can get behind that.”

 

“Yeah!” Iris agreed. “It was fun to hang out, even if everyone else couldn’t come.”

 

“It was,” you said, nodding. You fished around in your bag for your keys, and then glanced between Gladio and Iris. “Well, I guess I’ll see you guys around?”

 

“I hope so!” Iris said cheerfully, giving you a sweet smile.

 

“Hey, go on to the truck,” Gladio said, tossing Iris his keys. She ungracefully caught them, and shot Gladio a look for throwing them at her. “Got a second?” he asked you.

 

“Sure,” you answered, the word more of a question than a statement.

 

“Bye!” Iris called out to you, waving as she unlocked Gladio’s truck and hopped into the passenger seat.

 

You looked to Gladio for an explanation.

 

“Hey, look, I –” he began, but cut his sentence off at the sound of his truck starting.

 

You looked over his shoulder to see Iris watching the two of you, and when she noticed you she shot you a wide grin.

 

“I’ll… walk you to your car,” Gladio said, still not quite able to meet your gaze.

 

“Yeah, okay,” you agreed, your heartbeat picking up a little bit.

 

He didn’t say anything else as the two of you walked the four spaces over to your vehicle. As you came to a stop beside your car door, you watched him curiously, waiting on him to speak.

 

Gladio looked back over towards his truck and seemed to relax a little bit now that he was out of sight of his sister. His eyes finally found yours, and he slipped his hands into his pockets. “Look, I… I can’t do this ‘just friends’ thing. I thought I could. But I like you way more than just a friend. And I know I fucked up and kept going back and forth with us last week, but I just…. I can’t quit thinking about you.” He paused, giving you an opportunity to say something. When you had nothing to offer but silence, he continued. “I get it if you’re not… if you don’t… you know, feel the same anymore.”

 

“I feel the same,” you managed to get out. His whole body seemed to relax, relief apparent in his easy smile. “But Gladio,” you rushed on, “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, or, or, I don’t know, I know you said you don’t really date, and I’m not like, a dating expert, like I don’t know what I’m doing, and I just don’t want you… to… to… be with me if you don’t want to be with me….. You know?”

 

“I want to be with you,” he said, saying each word with care. “I swear. I’ve had a whole week to think about what an idiot I am.”

 

“You’re not an idiot,” you said, rolling your eyes and letting out a huff of breath. “Look, the things you were saying…. I get it. They made sense. So, I just want you to be sure.”

 

“I’m sure,” he replied, taking one of your hands in his. “Really. Promise.”

 

“Alright,” you said, feeling a blush creep onto your cheeks. Your heart was practically soaring in your chest. “Alright, then.”

 

Gladio moved closer to you, a little smirk pulling at his lips. “So, guess I’ll officially ask. Do you want to date me? Last chance to back out.”

 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” you said with a laugh. “The dating thing, not the backing out thing,” you added.

 

“Thanks for the clarification,” Gladio responded with a snicker, and then he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NYX ULRIC IS ALIVE AND WELL HE IS WORKING AT A RETROCADE AND HAS THE TOP SCORES IN EVERYTHING AND NOTHING BAD EVER HAPPENED TO HIM OR HIS FRIENDS KINGSGLAIVE WHO I DON'T KNOW HER THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK


	17. Level Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, yes, I am alive  
> Here's twelve more pages about these two dumb nerds <3

You were walking out of your writing course with Willow when you felt your phone buzz. The text was from a number you didn’t have saved, although it definitely read like someone you knew.

 

‘ _Hey!! Uh, I guess this is gonna seem like it’s coming out of nowhere, but Noct and I were wondering if it would be alright if we kind of… mentioned who you are on our channel?’_

The message had several emojis in it. Before you could reply, another text came in.

 

_‘I guess people heard you in the Halloween video? And we keep getting comments about it, sooooo thought I’d ask if it was alright to clear things up?’_

“Heard me?” you asked aloud, making Will look over at you in confusion.

 

“What?”

 

“Uhm,” you began hesitantly. You adjusted your scarf, the chilly breeze making you involuntarily shudder. “I’m not even sure how to begin to explain.”

 

Willow laughed, and you typed out a reply to the number as your friend waited patiently for you to provide some context.

 

‘ _Hey! I’m assuming this is Prompto haha_

_Um what exactly do you mean by “clear things up”?’_

 

“Uh, well,” you said aloud to Will, “basically Gladio’s friends are YouTubers, and I just got a text saying they’re getting comments about me in one of their videos. But I didn’t even participate, so I’m a little confused.”

 

Will raised her eyebrows at you, her dark gaze intrigued. “What’s the channel called?”

 

You sighed. “If you’re just going to look it up, we may as well go do it now, so I can figure out what he’s talking about.”

 

Willow grinned, and you started searching for the video while the two of you walked. By the time you’d reached the dorm, you’d found their channel and located the Halloween video. You’d also gotten a reply from Prompto.

 

‘ _Yep, it’s me! :) And we obviously weren’t going to just throw your name out there, but maybe we could mention that you’re a friend and Gladio’s girlfriend and leave it at that?’_

 

You let Willow into your room, and since Jess wasn’t there, you decided to go ahead and pull up the video on your laptop.

 

“Wow, they really do YouTube,” Willow commented, and then pointed at the channel’s number of subscribers. “That’s more than I thought they’d have.”

 

“Yeah, enough to have some comments,” you noted, eyebrows rising. You scrolled down on the Halloween video, letting it play while you browsed the screen below. “Oh, God.”

 

You zeroed in on some… very _specific_ comments. 

 

 

>  
> 
> WigSnatched77:
> 
> Oh my god, did anyone else hear that?? There’s definitely a girl screaming at 7:54!!! WHO IS SHE WHAT IS GOING ON?
> 
>  
> 
> emily is bord:
> 
> Ooooooo yes, Gladio and Ignis :3 Not that I don’t love Noctis and Prompto, but mmmmmmmmmmmm ;33
> 
>  
> 
> ~0LLoverr0~:
> 
> GLADIO VIDEO GLADIO VIDEO YAAAAAS HE IS SO HOT OMFGGG
> 
>  
> 
> OphThereItIs:
> 
> Swear to God, Gladio could punch me in the face and I’d thank him.
> 
>  

“Somebody named ‘glassbonespaperskin’ commented: _Old game. Late for Halloween. Not even scary, idiots_ ,” Will said.

 

“Quality name,” you replied with a begrudging nod.

 

“So… it seems like their commenters are mostly girls,” Willow said slowly.

 

“Yeah, looks like it,” you said absentmindedly, trying to ignore the hint of jealousy that was beginning to coil in your stomach.

 

Damn, some of these girls were _thirsty_.

 

You skipped to the part of the video that the commenters specified they’d heard you at, and sure enough, you were in the background, yelling out a curse and then laughing.

 

Willow continued watching the video as you picked up your phone to answer Prompto. He wanted to let these people know you were Gladio’s girlfriend?

 

_‘Yeah, I’m fine with that!’_

“Hang on a second,” you told Willow, and clicked back so that you could select the guys’ newest video. Sure enough, there were still at least two comments asking who ‘the girl’ was in the Halloween video. “Wow, they’re really… insistent.”

 

Will laughed, and then nudged your shoulder. “Well, as riveting as all of this is, do you want to take a break from reading comments and go out for some coffee with me?”

 

“Oh, shit,” you swore, checking the time on your phone, “normally I’d love to, but uh, I actually have a…” you could feel your face flushing, “… a date tonight.”

 

“Awe, that sounds fun!” Will said with a grin. When she realized you still looked upset at letting her down, she rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll see if anyone in my writing group wants to go, and if not, I’ll just take something to study. Or do homework. I have a ton of homework!”

 

“Well, still. Rain check,” you told her, matching her smile.

 

“So, where are you guys going tonight?” Willow asked.

 

\--

 

“You don’t know where to take her?” Ignis asked.

 

“I mean, I don’t know,” Gladio grumbled, crossing his arms and cutting his eyes away from his roommate’s gaze.

 

“Why don’t you just take her to Sonic again,” Noctis drawled from his spot on the couch. “Real romantic.”

 

Prompto tried and failed to hide a snicker, which Gladio and Ignis both clearly heard from where they stood beside the kitchen doorway.

 

“Shut the hell up,” Gladio said with a growl, his cheeks perhaps a little redder than they had been before.

 

The boys were hanging at the apartment as usual, although it had been easy to tell that Gladio was a bit distracted. Upon further interrogation, the cause of his disgruntled attitude had been revealed.

 

“I thought you’d gone out with girls before,” Prompto interjected as he walked by on his way out of the kitchen.

 

He tossed a bag of chips to Noct as he sat down with the drink he had been retrieving. He popped the tab on the soda, the noise cracking into the silence while they waited on Gladio to answer.

 

“That was dinner and a movie, real basic. I mean, those weren’t like… _dates_ ,” Gladio finally stated. “I… I wanna do things different with this girl, I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it.” He frowned and then hurriedly added, “I asked Iggy for advice, not you two.”

 

“Dinner and a movie is fine,” Ignis said, waving his hand dismissively.

 

“It really is, though,” Prompto agreed.

 

“You must _reeeally_ like her if you’re this worried about it,” Noctis said casually. He raised his eyebrows, put a chip in his mouth, and crunched it loudly. “Which makes the Sonic thing even more of a mystery.”

 

Gladio pointed at him. “Shut up. Just shut up. It isn’t hard to shut up.”

 

Noctis grinned, but then sat up a little straighter as he said, “But no, really Gladio, just take her to dinner. Dinner and a movie is like… normal.”

 

“Exactly,” Ignis agreed. “A dinner date is a more personal affair, whereas the movie afterward will provide a relaxed environment. A classic combination.”

 

“Yeah, quit worrying so much,” Prompto chimed in, and Noctis nodded.

 

Gladio sighed and shook his head. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right, I guess. Thanks.”

 

\--

 

You were glad it was cold for once – you always felt like your winter clothes were nicer than your summer ones. You’d put some effort into your appearance – nice blouse, jacket, scarf, matching beanie hat.... Well, it wasn’t anything fancy, but you looked better than you normally did, so it was something.

 

You checked your phone again as you stood inside the glass doors of your dorm’s lobby. Gladio had said he was about to pull up, and you were mentally chiding yourself for being nervous. Why be anxious now? Just because it was an official first date? Dumb.

 

But no matter how dumb you told yourself if was, it still felt like your stomach was full of butterflies. Which only increased when you saw Gladio’s truck pull up in front of the dorm.

 

You walked out, and he grinned at you as you opened the door. He’d dressed up – dark jeans, a button up shirt, and a black jacket. Seeing the jacket reminded you of the maroon pullover slung across the back of your desk chair.

 

“You look beautiful,” Gladio said as you climbed in the truck. His charming smile flashed at you, although it vanished as he hurriedly looked away and cleared his throat.

 

“Thanks,” you replied, feeling your cheeks flush at the compliment. You didn’t pull the truck door closed just yet. “Oh, um, I forgot your hoodie. I really was going to give it back to you tonight.”

 

“Eh, just keep it,” Gladio said with a shrug. “Looks better on you, anyway.”

 

Now you really were blushing. “Thanks,” you repeated as you closed the door and buckled up. “You look nice, too, by the way.”

 

“I try,” he responded with a small smile.

 

You both lapsed into silence as he started driving. The tension slowly building in the cab was all too familiar.

 

_It’s that night in the truck all over again…._

 

“So, I’ve heard good stuff about this place,” you finally made yourself say. “And the movie has good reviews!”

 

“Guess we’re in for a pretty nice night,” Gladio stated.

 

\--

 

The two of you were sat at a little table near the back of the restaurant. Gladio had gone weirdly silent, and you were staring at your menu without really taking in any of the words. After a little bit he looked up at you and made a comment about the weather. _The weather_.

 

“Look,” you said, putting your menu down, “can we acknowledge that this is weird?”

 

“It is weird, I know,” he admitted with a sigh. “It’s my fault.”

 

Gladio looked down at the table, mouth set in a frustrated frown. You remembered how his smile had disappeared after he’d complimented you when he picked you up at the dorm. Had he felt like he’d messed up? Or… something? You had no idea what was going on behind that dejected expression.

 

“No, no, it’s not you,” you insisted. “It’s… It’s because we’re labeling it,” you decided. You pointed between the two of you. “We hang out all the time. We study together and eat lunch together and it’s no biggie.”

 

“We do,” he agreed.

 

“So like… can this be us hanging out? Dating is really just hanging out if you think about it.” You gave him a hopeful smile, and you were relieved when he returned it.

 

“I mean…. Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Gladio said slowly, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he spoke. “I guess I got all in my head about it.”

 

“I was doing the same thing,” you admitted.

 

“Oh, man,” he said, letting out an embarrassed laugh. “Glad it wasn’t just me.”

 

And, as if on cue, the waiter came back to take your order, which further alleviated any weird vibes.

 

You guys were actually talking now, not forcing conversation. You finally felt like you could relax and focus on having a good time. It turned out everything you’d heard about the restaurant was true, and the food was awesome.

 

The conversation transitioned from talking about the restaurant to talking about dating, and from there, other first dates. Which naturally led to….

 

“Wait, is this the ex talk?” you asked in realization.

 

“Oh, God,” Gladio said. “I mean, I don’t know. We don’t have to talk about that kind of stuff if you don’t want to.” He thought for a moment and then added, “Unless there’s a league of evil exes I need to worry about.”

 

You laughed and rolled your eyes. “No, no league.” You grimaced. “Um, I’m kind of worried about telling you?”

 

“Why?” he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “Promise I won’t think badly of you. Hell, I’ve got a fair amount of exes.”

 

“You first?” you asked hesitantly.

 

Now it was Gladio looking uncomfortable. “Ah. We counting high school?”

 

“Yeah, just like, an actual ‘relationship-relationship’, not a ‘calling-someone-your-girlfriend-on-the-playground-at-recess-relationship’, or whatever” you tried to clarify. “I guess let’s say like… actual ‘relationship-relationships’ that lasted longer than a month?”

 

“Alright,” Gladio said, taking a moment to consider his answer. “I’ve been in about five relationships that lasted for around a month. One that lasted about six. But uh, since then, nothing serious. Ah, a fair bit of nothing serious, actually. Like I mentioned when we were texting.”

 

Gladio looked at you with slight apprehension, as if he expected you to get up and walk out on him. His expression pinched your heart, and again you just wanted to reach out and smooth the worried line forming between his eyebrows.

 

But you were in public, and knew that would probably make him uncomfortable.

 

So instead you reached across the table and took his hand. You gave it a squeeze and then shot him what you hoped was a reassuring smile. You could see the transition in his face, the worried lines disappearing as his lips relaxed into an easy grin. It went straight to his eyes, warm and happy. Amber.

 

You were getting distracted.

 

You pulled your hand back and took a sip of your drink, which prompted Gladio to ask, “So… how about you?”

 

“Ah, um, yeah,” you mumbled. “Well, I’ve dated… two people.”

 

“Two?” Gladio asked, leaning closer across the table in case he had misheard you. “Just _two_?”

 

“Three, counting you!” you hurriedly added. When he continued to watch you in disbelief, you started fiddling with your napkin. “I didn’t date a whole lot in high school. So yeah, I’ve got two exes. I dated one guy for four months.”

 

“Yeah?” Gladio asked.

 

“Yeah,” you said. “And, uh, the other I dated for two years.”

 

“Oh,” Gladio said.

 

You didn’t really have an answer to that, but you couldn’t stand sitting in the following silence. Before you could stop yourself, you started anxiously blabbering. “Does that freak you out? God, I figured it might, I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about how that might make you feel, like, I’m not trying to trap you in some long-term relationship or whatever, we can just keep everything casual and just, like, no pressure, and –”

 

Gladio said your name, (thankfully) cutting you off. “It’s fine,” he assured you. “I’m not feeling trapped, or freaked out, or anything else that you just said. I was just surprised. We have very… different dating histories.”

 

“Yeah, I guess so,” you said, and before you could further elaborate on your thoughts, the waiter stopped by to refill your glasses.

 

The subject was dropped, and neither of you felt like picking it up again. Still, you had a feeling it would be revisited later.

 

\--

 

He was going to fuck this up. Oh, God, did he ever feel like he was going to fuck this up. But damn, if he wasn’t going to do his best not to.

 

Gladio glanced over at you in the passenger seat of his truck, where you were answering a question he’d asked you about the college’s upcoming finals. You seemed a lot more at ease now, ever since the two of you had talked about getting over the label of the “first date”. And you being at ease made him feel more at ease.

 

When the conversation about school lulled, he looked over in the following silence and noticed you check the time on your phone. Your brow furrowed and you said, “There’s a lot of traffic. I hope we make it in time for the movie.”

 

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it,” Gladio told you. “Got a good ten or so minutes of previews, so we got time.” You didn’t answer him right away, and he briefly looked over at you. You met his eyes, and his gaze returned to the road as he stated rather than asked, “You like previews, don’t you.”

 

“Yeah,” you admitted with a little laugh. “It sounds dumb, but there’s something to the best parts of movies being put to badass music. Even bad movies. I don’t know, I just think they’re fun. But really, it’s fine. It won’t bother me if we miss them!”

 

Your explanation (and obvious lie) made Gladio grin. “We can make the previews.”

 

“No, really!” you insisted again. “It’s _fine_!”

 

Gladio’s truck gradually picked up speed while you changed the topic.

 

\--

 

You guys got there in time for the previews. And being early meant there were a lot of seat options, which made Gladio suddenly… uncomfortable.

 

His other “dates” to the theater usually meant back row seats. Is that what you expected of him? He could feel himself freeze up, although you didn’t seem to notice.

 

“Hey, can we sit down here in the middle?” you asked, pointing at the row of seats in front of the guardrail. “I, uh, like to put my feet on the rail.”

 

You seemed a little embarrassed, like he was going to think less of you for the suggestion, which struck him as odd. He’d noticed it before, the hesitation in your tone when you’d mention things you liked or enjoyed.

 

“Yeah, absolutely,” Gladio said, gesturing for you to lead the way.

 

As the theater slowly filled up, the two of you sat talking and trying not to eat all of the popcorn before the movie had started (You had told him you could buy your own popcorn. Gladio had found that funny.). He could tell you were doing your best to play it off like you weren’t excited, which meant you were absolutely thrilled. You did sort of give yourself away when you started talking about the previous installments in the film’s franchise, which he couldn’t help but smile at. Did you _know_ you were so fucking cute? He figured you had to know.

 

When the lights dimmed and the previews began, your face lit up once again, eyes eagerly flicking across the large screen. And he couldn’t help it. It was like second nature to reach for your hand, and he was more than pleased when you easily threaded your fingers through his.

 

It felt… nice. It felt nice to just hold your hand and enjoy your company.

 

You really got into the movie, Gladio sparing you sneaky glances every now and then. During tense moments, you’d squeeze his hand without even realizing it. Eventually, he felt relaxed enough to release your hand in favor of stretching his arm around your shoulders. You shifted closer to him, and in the light of the screen he could see you blush.

 

When the credits rolled, and you immediately looked over at him and smiled, Gladio was thankful his friends had talked him into a dinner and movie date.

 

Night had fallen when you filed outside behind the other movie goers. The wind was chilly, and Gladio realized you had wrapped your jacket tightly around yourself. Nah, that wouldn’t do. He put an arm around you and tucked you close to his side.

 

“Thanks,” you said, with a pleasant little laugh.

 

It made him grin.

 

Once the two of you had climbed back into Gladio’s truck, he could tell your excitement had fully banished your nerves. You were talking about the movie, both of you rehashing favorite moments and pointing out the different kinds of superheroes the film had included.

 

“What about you?” you asked him, fiddling with the truck’s vents so you could start to warm up. “If you were a superhero, what power would you want?”

 

“Would a sword count as a superpower?” he asked, only half-jokingly. “That’s all I’d need. Just a big-ass sword.”

 

“That’s an awesome answer,” you said appreciatively. “So, I’m going to rule that, yes, it would definitely count. Wish I had thought of that!”

 

“You’d give up a superpower for a sword?” he asked with a laugh.

 

“Oh, absolutely!” you declared. “I’m assuming sword skills comes with the sword, though,” you said after another second or two. “Or at least _some_ innate ability.”

 

“Of course,” Gladio agreed. “Skills that could be further honed through hard work.”

 

“And it should be a magic sword, since it’s in place of a superpower,” you added. “Like… summonable. Video game style.”

 

“Sure,” Gladio said with a laugh.

 

The two of you continued to elaborate on the specifics of the ‘sword superpower’, which led to talking about different video game weapons the rest of the drive back to your dorm. Gladio realized that the trip was going a little too quickly for his liking, and took your hand for the last block or so before he had to turn into the college.

 

You both fell silent as Gladio parked, the two of you staring through the glass doors of the dorm and into the lobby.

 

“This was really fun,” you said quietly. You looked towards him, a shy smile on your lips, your eyes dark in the low light. “Thanks.”

 

“Don’t need to thank me,” Gladio replied, heartbeat picking up as he watched you.

 

\--

 

You unbuckled your seatbelt and leaned over to pick up your bag before turning back to Gladio. You’d thanked him out of habit.

 

“Yeah, well, still. It was great,” you told him. “I say we do it again sometime,” you added in a teasing tone.

 

He snorted, and the wolfish grin was back. “C’mere.”

 

You copied his grin as you leaned in, and then his lips were on yours, still partially twisted into a smile.

 

He kissed you softly, a hand pulling you towards him, the other unbuckling his own seatbelt so that he could shift closer. The kiss deepened, your heart thudding faster, his tongue parting your lips, one of his hands gripping the fabric at your waist, _fuck_.

 

You ran a thumb down Gladio’s jawline, your hand continuing its way down his neck, his shoulder. He accidentally knocked your beanie off as his fingers tangled in your hair. You hardly noticed. His other hand had slipped underneath your shirt, calloused fingers running up your skin and giving you chill bumps.

 

You moved a hand to his thigh, his breath stuttering, teeth biting lightly on your bottom lip.

 

 _Fuck_ , you thought as his fingers grazed the underwire of your bra.

 

 ** _Fuck_** , you thought as light suddenly blared across your eyelids.

 

You jerked back in surprise, turning your head towards the front windshield to see another car bright-lighting Gladio’s truck as it slowly made its way by.

 

“Jackass,” Gladio said with a scowl.

 

You felt your face flush, suddenly remembering where you were – in public. Making out in a truck in front of your dorm.

 

“I should go inside,” you said with a weak laugh.

 

“Sorry, babe,” Gladio told you sheepishly. “Guess it’s best not to, ah… move too fast anyway.”

 

“Right,” you said. “Right, yeah, totally!”

 

Had that sounded convincing enough? You really hoped so.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, though?” Gladio asked, a hopeful tilt to his smile. “Lunch like usual?”

 

“It’s a date,” you teased.

 

He kissed you again, hurried and deep and whoa where did your breath go? And then you made yourself collect your things and get out of the truck before either of you could get too carried away again.

 

Gladio grinned at you before pulling back onto the road and out of the lot.

 

Still a little out of sorts and more than keyed up, you gave your head a small shake as you made your way back to your room. Lo and behold, Jess was not there. You changed into your sleepwear and finally remembered your phone. You had felt it buzz during dinner, but had forgotten to check it afterward.

 

It was Willow, who had wanted to inform you that she had met someone who knew both you and Gladio at the coffee shop. That recaptured your attention, pushing away thoughts of Gladio and his lips and tongue and cologne and fingers on your skin and oh, wait… you were getting distracted again.

 

‘ _Who was it??’_ you texted to Will, truly curious.

 

But later, when your phone buzzed, it was not an answer from Willow.

 

‘ _Fuck, I already miss you. Wish you were here_ ’

 

Talk about feeling warm all over. You couldn’t help but smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For everyone that waited so patiently, THANK YOU. I can't tell you what it means to me that people are still reading and commenting on this story!  
> If you want to know what the deal is with the long breaks in between the uploads, [here's a link](https://wanderingworldwarrior.tumblr.com/post/179362239519/life-update) to my Tumblr post about it!  
> I really hope you guys understand, for those that are reading that for the first time.  
> But anywho, I hope you guys like this long ass chapter about our beloved nerds on a first date lmao  
> Much love to you all <3

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/wanderingworldwarrior)!  
> Consider joining my [Discord](https://discord.gg/AbBAEY5)!  
> Music playlist for this series [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/v5cbhpe7x87je7ggjouojhvmw/playlist/4FcfDWIGGgSTSzWFblshzb?si=CxMgJ625TPih0LNl0M-rBQ)!  
> 


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